How to Install Cervini's Stalker Rear Bumper - Unpainted (05-09 All) on your Ford Mustang

Notice: Pre fi t Before Painting! Then remove parts, paint them and re-install.

Painted or Altered Parts are Non-Refundable!

The surface that is in contact with the 3M 2-sided tape must be cleaned with isopropyl alcohol & the temperature must be a minimum of 75 degrees F, before applying . Allow the 2-sided tape to dry 24 hours before driving.

Pre-fi tting the rear bumper: Remove the rear bumper from the car. Next, remove the parking lights and the tag light with the wire harness. (The tag light and wire harness do not get reused.) Remove the stud mounting bracket from the bumper, use a 3/16” drill bit to drill out the four visible rivets and the two rivets under the foam gaskets as shown in fi g.A and fi g.A1.

Reinstall the marker lights and stud mounting bracket to the Stalker rear bumper. Use the supplied silver rivets to install the stud mounting bracket as shown in fi g.B. Remove the muffl er hanger bracket that holds the rear end of the muffl ers to the car. Cut out the supplied template and tape it to the hanger as shown in fi g.C. Drill a 11/32” hole in the marked location. Remove the excess rubber from the drilled area and install the supplied threaded U-clip, H-plate, and 1” bolt as shown in fi g. D. Use low or medium strength Loctite to keep the bolt from loosening do to vibration. (Do this to both sides.) This will allow the exhaust tip to move up and help center it in the exhaust opening. Reinstall the muffl er hangers on the car.

Modifying the bumper brackets: Remove the two bumper brackets that hold the top corners of the bumper to the car. Use a bur tool to slot the mounting hole on each bracket about an 1/8” down as shown in fi g.E. (The hole has to be slotted enough to slide the bracket up and touch the quarter panel.) Reinstall the mounting brackets to the car so that the bracket touches the quarter panel as shown in fi g.F.

To keep the top of the bracket from pulling away from the car use a 1/4” drill bit to drill through the top of the bracket into the car as shown in fi g.G. Center the hole between the support ribs and sides. It should go through the L or R depending on what side you are on. Install the supplied bolt, washer, foam gasket, and nut, as shown in fi g.H. (The foam gasket and washer go on the inside of the trunk.) Then, reinstall the bumper.

Assembling the rear bumper: Install the fi ve threaded U-clips on the lower middle section of the bumper as shown in fi g.I. Place the lower middle section in the bottom of the bumper. Use the suppled 3/4” bolts and washers to bolt the middle section to the bumper. Then, install the small black screws to the ends of the middle section through the pre drilled holes in the bumper as shown in fi g.J.

Use the small allen head screws to install the exhaust trim rings. The stamping in the back of the trim ring goes towards the top of the bumper as shown in fi g.K. (The trim ring is designed to be used with an exhaust tip 2-1/2” in diameter or smaller. If you have an exhaust tip that is bigger than 2-1/2” in diameter it is necessary to cut the taps off the bumper and sand the area smooth. To cut the tabs off, score it with a razor knife and bend the tab back. This will give you proper clearance around the exhaust tip.) With the bumper assembled, test fi t it to the car and center the exhaust tips in the exhaust openings. Refer to the adjusting the exhaust tip section. (Use the provided 10mm bolts, and washers to bolt the lower bumper to the canister assembly as shown in fi g.L.) After the bumper is test fi t and the exhaust tips alined, disassemble the bumper and paint it. (Paint the lower middle section of the bumper either semi-gloss black or fl at black.) Leave the stud mounting bracket in the bumper while painting.

Adjusting the exhaust tips: Align the exhaust tips in the bumper so that the tip is centerd in the exhaust opening and the bottom of the tip protrudes a 1/4” past the bumper as shown in fi g.M and fi g.M1. To adjust how far the tip protrudes past the bumper, loosen the two bolt band clamp that holds the exhaust pipe to the H-pipe as shown in fi g. N. Pull the pipe out until you get the proper alignment. Also, you can rotate the pipe left or right to help center the exhaust tip.

Pre-fi tting the licence plate panel: Remove the trunk interior panels, latch cover, and the mustang badge from the trunk lid. Cut out the supplied template and aline it with the bottom and side edges of the trunk as shown in fi g.O. Drill a 1/4” hole in the marked locations. Then, fl ip the template over and repeat the procedure for the other side of the trunk. Install the supplied tag light to the license plate panel with the provided hardware that comes with the tag light. (You do not have to drill these holes. The provided screws will tap themselves into the plastic.) Test fi t the license plate panel to the trunk lid. Remove the tag light and paint the panel either semi-gloss black or fl at black.

Final installation of the rear bumper: After the bumper has been painted, paint the exhaust openings from the bezel back with black spray paint as shown in fi g.P. This area can be seen when the bumper is on the car. Reassemble the bumper and install it on the car with the factory hardware.

Installing the license plate panel: Included in the hardware packet is a roll of 3M double-sided tape. After the license plate panel has been painted, install the 3M double-sided tape along the guidelines an 1/8” away from the outer edge of the part and two strips down the middle of the part as shown in fi g. Q. (Before you go any further disconect the negative battery terminal.) In the hardware pack there is an eight foot role of wire, cut a ten inch piece off this wire. The smaller ten inch piece will be your ground wire and longer piece will be your hot wire. Reinstall the tag light and solder the two pieces of wire to the two wire leads from the tag light. (It does not matter witch wire is solderd to witch lead from the tag light.) Run the two wires through the right mustang badge hole in the trunk lid as shown in fi g.R.

Pull the wires out the square hole on the under side of the trunk lid and connect the short wire (ground), to the black ground wire in the third brake light as shown in fi g.S. Push the long wire (hot), in the black wire loom and run it with the third brake light wire harness as shown in fi g.T. Run the rest of the wire underneath the back panel and drop it down towards the back seat as shown in fi g.U. Cut the light green wire with the dark green stripe in the wire harness that runs on the trunk fl oor and solder the new tag light wire to the factory tag light wire as shown in fi g.V. (This is the hot wire for the factory tag light.)

After the wires are soldered together and wraped with elctrical tape, peel and fold about 2” of the red backing from each end of each piece of tape. Then, center the license plate panel on the trunk so that the red backing is exposed and can be pulled. (This will allow you to get the best possible alignment of the part). Pull the tape backing slowly. After all the backing is removed, fi rmly press the edges of the license plate panel to securely adhere the tape. Screw the license plate panel to the trunk with four black screws.

VERY IMPORTANT: The following painting procedures MUST be followed EXACTLY for PROPER ADHESION and to prevent fish eyes.

1. To remove any mold release contaminants, clean the back of the part fi rst. Using 2 new clean rags, saturate the fi rst rag with plastic prep cleaner* and begin cleaning. Then use the second rag to remove the prep cleaner. Continuously fold both rags to their clean sides during the process. Use 3 sets of new rags throughout the process. This prevents mold release contaminants from transferring to the painted surface. 

2. Repeat step one on the front of the part. 

3. Rinse the part with water. Apply a generous amount of Ajax® or sand fi x* to a red scuff pad* (3M Scotch Brite Brand) and scrub the surface to be painted THOROUGHLY (especially where the 2-sided tape is installed, on the back side of the part, and all the hard to reach areas). Then rinse with water and dry. The scrubbed surface should be dull. If any shiny spots show, repeat the process on those areas. 

4. Using another set of clean new rags, again clean the surface to be painted with plastic prep cleaner. 

5. Spray the surface to be painted with adhesion promoter* including the areas where the 2-sided tape is installed (follow the instructions on the can for application and drying time). 

6. Apply 3 to 4 coats of urethane primer* with fl ex additive* (follow the instructions on the can for application and drying time). 

7. Wet sand primer with 600 grit sandpaper. Be careful not to sand through the primer. If you do, you MUST clean those areas with plastic prep cleaner, apply adhesion promoter and prime. Once the primer has dried, wet sand the areas that were touched up. Your surface is now ready for paint.

Note: Make sure you PRIME and PAINT the areas where the 2-sided tape is used as you would if it was the outside of the part. The tape has its best adehsion when it is applyed to a painted surface.