Move the alarm

Started by AndyM, May 27, 2013, 02:30

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AndyM

Difficulty: Easy
Time: 1 hour

Introduction
This simple mod involves moving the alarm sounder from under the spare wheel inside the frunk to the outside of the frunk (under the plastics).

Why would you want to do this?
There are two key benefits. Firstly, without the alarm being smothered by the steel spare wheel you get a much louder alarm sound (which is a big improvement over the volume of the stock location). Second, with the alarm out of the way you can flip over the spare wheel and give yourself an increase in frunk luggage space.

Tools/materials required
- 10mm socket/spanner
- 6mm socket
- 6mm spanner
- Drill
- Metal drill bits (I used a 3mm and 6mm)
- 2x M6 20mm bolts
- 2x M6 nuts
- 4x Washers
- Aluminium tape (only about 20cm)
- Cable ties


1. Remove spare wheel and plastics

- Open up the front
- Open and remove the frunk lid (when it's just open give it a tug towards the front of the car to disengage the hinges)
- Unbolt the spare wheel and lift out
- Remove all the push rivets by pressing down the centre of the rivet (I used a torx driver) and then lifting out*
- Lift off the plastic fascia

http://i1304.photobucket.com/albums/s532/andy_malone/am01_zpspkurbyaw.jpg

* of my 18 clips only 5 were actually fully intact so I'm going to be replacing them. If you are prepping for this job it might be worth having a few spares on hand.

2. Disconnect alarm and remove frunk

- Locate the alarm clip (my was covered in foam tape)
- Cut off the retaining cable tie
- Peel away foam
- Disconnect the two half of the connector (at this point you will probably hear a series of beeps - don't worry)
- Unbolt the two alarm bolts, remove alarm and set aside
- Remove two remaining frunk bolts
- Peel the alarm cable grommet off and push the cable through
- Remove the frunk (mine had some sealant semi-attaching it at the bottom so it require a small tug to get it loose)

http://i1304.photobucket.com/albums/s532/andy_malone/am02_zps09mgcqq3.jpg


3. Cover hole in frunk
This stage is purely to neaten up the mod and ensure that liquid and muck isn't going to start getting up into your frunk when you fit all your new things in.

- Remove any sealant/gunk left around the alarm hole
- Wipe the outer surface down to remove dust/grime
- Cut a small strip of aluminium tape (8cm ish) and stick over the hole
- I then decided to fill cut a small cardboard disk to stick on from the other side to even up the height
- Cut another strip of aluminium tape and attach it to the inside
- Press down and make sure the edges won't curl up

http://i1304.photobucket.com/albums/s532/andy_malone/am03_zpswindnozs.jpg

http://i1304.photobucket.com/albums/s532/andy_malone/am04_zpsqa2s7qpw.jpg


4. Drill out alarm bracket
At this point you want to modify the stock alarm bracket to make it easy to attach to the outside of the frunk.

- Dismantle the alarm by removing the two 10mm nylock nuts
- Press the alarm off the sliding bolts
- Drill out the two spot welds (I went through with a 3mm bit and then a 6mm and the two pieces popped apart)
- Put the the 'U' shaped piece to one side
- Throw the larger flatter piece away

http://i1304.photobucket.com/albums/s532/andy_malone/am05_zps0p9m1lti.jpg

http://i1304.photobucket.com/albums/s532/andy_malone/am06_zpsnyqsvvao.jpg

http://i1304.photobucket.com/albums/s532/andy_malone/am07_zpsf9hwcmyv.jpg



5. Refit alarm to frunk
The task now is to locate and fix the alarm back onto the outside of the frunk. On my air-con car the most obvious space was an alarm sized area near the power steering pump/reservoir. However, other members without air-con have located the alarm on the back right hand side which offers a bit more protection from the elements.

- Put some masking tape across the 'U' bracket
- Place the frunk plastics into the front of the car and ensure the bolt holes are lined up
- Find a good space for the bracket (taking into account the size of the alarm when mounted)
- Press the masking tape onto the frunk to secure it
- Remove the frunk carefully and then press through the tape to mark your drill points on the frunk
- Drill out two holes in the frunk (6mm in my case)
- Tidy/clean up and mess or loose material
- Use the new bolts, washers and nuts to attach the bracket to the frunk
- Place the sliding bolts into the bracket, slide on alarm (make sure the cable is facing down) and secure the nylock nuts








6. Refit into car
Now the alarm is fitted securely to the frunk it is time for a bit of prep with the cables before putting it all back into the car. Please bear in mind this process was specifically for my final alarm position, those who put it somewhere else (like at the back/right side) will need to work out the best route of the cable).

- In the front of the car locate the loose alarm cable (with the connector you pushed through the frunk hole)
- Push any loose excess cable along to the connector is as far to the left as possible
- Use a cable tie to secure the connector end to the chassis*
- Lift in the frunk (be careful not to whack the alarm on anything)
- Feed the alarm connector down and press the two together (you should hear a click as they engage)
- Secure the frunk with the 4 bolts
- Replace the plastic fascia and secure with the push rivets
- Press the frunk lid into place and close the bonnet

* I used a fairly loose fitting to ensure the cable tie didn't cut into the wires at the back of the connector








7. Testing
It's a good idea to test the alarm to make sure it works. There are probably many ways of doing this but this was mine as I had the roof down when doing the work.

- Ensure all doors and lids are shut
- Lock the car, then deadlock it (but don't press three times)
- Leave it a few seconds
- Throw something into/grab something out of cabin
- Put your fingers in your ears

If all has gone to plan your alarm will go off and you will notice the sound many many times louder than when it was hidden under a steel spare wheel. This is much better for security as both a deterrent (it really is pretty loud) and an alert (I will now be able to hear it from my desk).

*****

COMING SOON - FLIPPING THE SPARE WHEEL
Unfortunately I ran out of time to work on the final stage. To flip the wheel safely you must also cut down and tap the retaining bolt to make sure the wheel won't move around in the frunk (or fly out in a crash). You can fit the spare in the normal fashion until you have the correct length bolt available.

PLEASE DO NOT DRIVE YOUR CAR WITH A LOOSE SPARE

I will be doing this very soon and will update the guide.

*****

Credits: I claim no originality here. The alarm move has been completed by many members of the club and I have basically followed information provided by other members on the forum. However, there was no single 'How To' available that I could find so I thought I'd put one together while I attempted it myself. I hope someone finds it useful. All comments welcome as this is my first guide.  s:) :) s:)
Ex-owner: 2003 Sable - Hardtop, Black Leather, A/C, lots (and lots) of mods

AndyM

#1
Flipping the spare wheel

Tools/materials required
- Tape measure
- Junior hacksaw
- File/wet and dry paper
- M8x1.25 die
- Copper grease

1. Measure the wheel bolt
- Open up the frunk and unscrew the wheel bolt
- Flip the spare wheel and place back into the frunk
- Screw in the wheel bolt until you are confident there is enough thread through the base to secure the wheel properly
- Measure the distance from the wheel to the plastic grip (this is the amount you will be cutting off)




2. Cut bolt and rethread
- Measure the amount to remove (see above) from the threaded end of the bolt and mark
- Use a hacksaw to remove the excess material and file/sand the end to remove sharp edges
- Grip the bolt in a workbench/vice and use the M8x1.25 die to thread about 4-5cm of the bolt






3. Grease and screw in
- Give the newly cut thread (and end) and healthy coat of copper grease to reduce corrosion
- Screw it into frunk and tighten it down
- Your inverted spare should now be securely held in place, nearly doubling the available luggage space

Ex-owner: 2003 Sable - Hardtop, Black Leather, A/C, lots (and lots) of mods

AndyM

#2
UPDATE: Photos re-uploaded and re-linked after old image service had removed them
Ex-owner: 2003 Sable - Hardtop, Black Leather, A/C, lots (and lots) of mods

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