Joined
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670 Posts
Directions!!! "We don't need no stinkin directions".
Had the Mrs. come out to line it up for me and it's up and running.
Visual Garage Shark Fin Group Buy Part 2!!!!
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Had the Mrs. come out to line it up for me and it's up and running.
Well I better dyno mine now, because I'm sure crystal red tintcoat could easily get a 12hp increase!
I would have believed 2 hp increase and 10 more mpg's now that you're slicing the air causing 0 drag on the rear lol
Rip it off and use goo gone to remove the adhesive. Then just re-sell the shark fin
Joined
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670 Posts
Might not be a bad idea, but I'd be afraid of taking paint off also.
Also have to take into consideration that the Cruze is Victory Red.....prob the rarest of the colors for a Cruze.
Don't worry, the paint will be fine, I use Goo gone to debadge. Also, my fin didn't stick right and the wind ripped it off, some of the 3m tape still on. Used Goo gone to remove adhesive and re-installed it today!
Joined
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559 Posts
Got mine installed yesterday. Contour is not a great fit and one of the rear corners is coming up. Also on the LH front side the foam is really stretching to hold onto the base, I do not think it will keep hold long. I know I got a good adhesion to the roof because the tape is lifting off the base, not the roof. I think I will end up ordering a new seal and then filing the base by hand to get an exact fit. That should keep it tight. Overall I like the cover, paint is a good match. Installation was no trouble, just wish the fit was better. On my vehicle it looks like there is just not enough shape in the base to follow the curves of the roof. I tried sliding it back and forth to find a good compromise. What I came up with placed the cover with a centerline further aft than the orginal, but still have the lift issue.
Joined
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2,811 Posts
Similar to the issue I have too. Cleaned the roof with 3M adhesive and wax remover, then Isopropyl alcohol. Thought I had a good clean bond (outside temp was in the high 70's / low 80's) but the RH rear corner is not completely sticking. Has not gotten worse and have been through a car wash. I am keeping an eye on it though and at some point may need to get a replacement seal.
Joined
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559 Posts
My advice to the guys who have not installed their cover yet would be to:
First, clean the area really well. blk88verde has a good process there.
Play with the positioning to get a best-fit to your roof.
Tape off your location with painters tape so you can fit it in the exact location you so carefully planned out.
Carefully remove the seal from the base.
Dry fit the naked cover to the roof and identify areas that contact the sheet metal first.
File those areas down with a fine file or dremel until you have a solid contact ring around the entire perimeter.
Clean the cover up with the same procedure as the roof.
Replace the seal to the cover.
Attach the antenna wire to the base.
Place the cover in the box you taped off when your originally fitted it.
Stick it down!
The 3m tape is good stuff, and if you give it a nice fit condition it will do a nice job for as long as you need it to. It will be able to absorb some of the deviation, that is its job, but do your best to make its life easy and it will treat you well.
UPDATE: Today i tried to refit the antenna cover. First thing I noted is that the seal does not come off the base very well, there was no good way to save it enough to be reuseable. Second problem I had is that when i went to remove material with the dremel, large chunks of paint came off. SO paint adhesion was not that great. Also, the antenna is very soft PVC or ABS. You do not need a dremel at all After seeing how much material i was moving I went to 240 grit sandpaper and that worked just fine and kept me from getting overzealous in the material removal.
I have contacted VG regarding a new seal and I have a very precise fit to my roof. After I repaint the fin I am positive I will have a good looking product, but I had to work much harder than I thought to get there. If you told me what a can of worms I was about to open, i would have left it well enough alone, or just left the thing off.
First, clean the area really well. blk88verde has a good process there.
Play with the positioning to get a best-fit to your roof.
Tape off your location with painters tape so you can fit it in the exact location you so carefully planned out.
Carefully remove the seal from the base.
Dry fit the naked cover to the roof and identify areas that contact the sheet metal first.
File those areas down with a fine file or dremel until you have a solid contact ring around the entire perimeter.
Clean the cover up with the same procedure as the roof.
Replace the seal to the cover.
Attach the antenna wire to the base.
Place the cover in the box you taped off when your originally fitted it.
Stick it down!
The 3m tape is good stuff, and if you give it a nice fit condition it will do a nice job for as long as you need it to. It will be able to absorb some of the deviation, that is its job, but do your best to make its life easy and it will treat you well.
UPDATE: Today i tried to refit the antenna cover. First thing I noted is that the seal does not come off the base very well, there was no good way to save it enough to be reuseable. Second problem I had is that when i went to remove material with the dremel, large chunks of paint came off. SO paint adhesion was not that great. Also, the antenna is very soft PVC or ABS. You do not need a dremel at all After seeing how much material i was moving I went to 240 grit sandpaper and that worked just fine and kept me from getting overzealous in the material removal.
I have contacted VG regarding a new seal and I have a very precise fit to my roof. After I repaint the fin I am positive I will have a good looking product, but I had to work much harder than I thought to get there. If you told me what a can of worms I was about to open, i would have left it well enough alone, or just left the thing off.
Joined
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13 Posts
I installed a VG Shark Fin on my Pontiac G8 two years ago. It still looks great with no problems with adhering to the roof.
Today, I installed the Shark Fin antenna on my Cruze. It went on with no problems.
There is no reason to do anything than what the installation instructions call for. It is a very simple and effective installation.
Today, I installed the Shark Fin antenna on my Cruze. It went on with no problems.
There is no reason to do anything than what the installation instructions call for. It is a very simple and effective installation.
Joined
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670 Posts
For some reason my reception isn't good and alot worse when it rains. Is there something I can do to make it better (meaning removing it and adding inside something metal to improve it)?
If not I'm really thinking of just taking it off and screwing back on the factory antenna.
If not I'm really thinking of just taking it off and screwing back on the factory antenna.
Joined
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670 Posts
Well, after waiting almost another month I just couldn't take the bad radio reception anymore. Picked up something called Krudkutter (like Goo Gone) and removed the shark fin antenna. Screwed the original back in and great reception.
Even though I think the shark fin looks much better than the factory antenna it was driving me crazy.
I'll post in the classifieds if anyone wants a shark fin in Victory Red.
Even though I think the shark fin looks much better than the factory antenna it was driving me crazy.
I'll post in the classifieds if anyone wants a shark fin in Victory Red.
Joined
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2,211 Posts
I ordered the shark fin for my car back at the beginning of June. Specifically I ordered it on June 1st. It arrived one month later on July 3rd. So I am guessing no matter where you order from it takes 1 month. My reception is not bad at all. I wonder if it has a lot to do with where you live in your specfic reception area.
Sent from my DROID3
Sent from my DROID3
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