Next up was to install my rear tow hook receiver from ZL1 Addons. Back when I did some preliminary research, I wasn’t able to find a lot of info on the rear tow hook…most of the time front tow hook installs/pictures would overwhelm the results. So I took some pictures along the way and well do a mini write-up in case anyone is interested. However, I still have to finish drilling the clearance hole behind the license plate once the bumper is mounted back on the car. Tomorrow, my back-up camera should be delivered so I will get that hole cut before reinstalling the bumper.
Step 1: Remove the rear bumper and carefully set it aside.
Step 2: Find the center of the crash bar. I used the interior trunk latch as a starting point and placed a piece of painters tape.
Step 3: Center the receiver on the crash bar and set the base ¼” from the edge. Mark the position of the receiver on the painter tape. I lucked out as the tape ended up being the exact distance from the edge, so I only marked the holes. Although in hindsight, I probably should have drawn a line on each side.
Step 4: Remove the crash bar. There are three bolts on each side, with one recessed in the larger hole. GM was kind enough to install hooks between the two outer bolts, so the crash bar won’t fall down and take out your exhaust tips.
Step 5: Use a punch to mark the center. I drilled a 1/8” pilot hole through the top and then drilled the final 3/8” hole through the top and bottom. I did one entire hole, place the bolt in, and then repeated for the second.
Step 6: I was still slightly off so I had to break out the step drill bits to make the top holes a little bigger to get the bolts to line up. Once they are in, tight down the bolts using the supplied washers and lock nuts.
Step 7: Reinstall the crash bar.
Step 8: On the rear bumper, pull the wire harness out of the two center holders along with the grey zip tie/plug.
Step 9: According to the ZL1 Add-ons instructions, they said to zip the wire harness up out of the way. However, maybe because my car was built prior to back-up sensors, I didn’t have anything above it to zip tie the harness to. Also, the tab where the grey plug was in is exactly where the receiver sits on the crash bar. So I cut the tab off completely and remounted with double sided tape.
Step 10: Reinstall the bumper to make sure everything is lined up correctly. Just a quick note, there are tabs on the bumper where it mounts along the wheel well. These tabs should go in front of the bracket on the car but behind the wheel well liner.
Step 11: Place a piece of painters tape in the area where the receiver is located. This is the trickiest part as you just have to eyeball the center of the receiver. I started with a 1/8” pilot hole, switched to a 3/8” bit, and finished off with a step bit to get to a 3/4" hole.
Step 12: Verify the tow hook can properly thread into the receiver.
Step 13: Reinstall the license plate and enjoy all the hard work to install something that hopefully no one will ever see (unless you’re at the track).
