A JDM bumper just looks naked without it's TRUENO emblem

Afraid of getting your Trueno emblem stolen?

This page is dedicated to all those AE86 owners who have spent the time and money to buy and install japanese market bumpers, but are unwilling to install the famed Trueno emblem for fear of having it stolen. The mounting points for the emblems are pretty weak to begin with, which can make them easy targets for deadbeats and losers who have no respect for other people's property. Nothing you do can make the emblem theft-proof, but this way they only way the would-be thief can get your emblem is if they're willing to destroy it in the process.

Personally, my Zenki Trueno emblem was stolen off of my Coupe in 2002.  Besides the fact that my emblem actually came out of a wrecking yard in Japan, I was pretty upset to learn that the Zenki emblems are no longer available new from Toyota.

 

In a strange twist of fate, I actually found my emblem mounted on a riced-out SR5 nearly a month later. I was delivering pizza at the time, and was more than happy to take it back. The emblem you see in the pictures to the left is that very same emblem. The factory mounting point that is held against the bumper with a screw had been ripped off when it was stolen from my car.

 

For the past three years, I have used my Zenki bumper without this emblem because I simply did not want to have it stolen again nor did I want to resort to some half-assed attempt to make it more secure (which would probably look terrible too).  My plans were to find a better way to secure it...

 

Well, I FINALLY got around to do doing just that.

The hardware I picked up came from Home Depot. The main piece is a flat metal bar with pre-drilled holes that are off-centre. This is important as one hole has to line up perfectly with the location of the mount that was originally on the back of the emblem. (you'll have to break off that tab if you plan on doing this).

Using a flat-head Phillips bolt so that it sits as flush as possible against the metal plate, I then secured two nuts to the other side. Keep in mind the nuts and bolt are all made of stainless steel.

Using an angle grinder, I ground both sides of the plate to give the adhesive I was going to use the most bite possible. I then used a very sharp packing knife to make hundreds of cuts into the back of the emblem for the very same reason.

I used POR-15's "POR Patch" (basically a thick version of the original POR-15 paint) because of it's incredible adhesive qualities, and because it's slightly flexible. The last thing I want is the adhesive to crack and fall apart due to the extreme temperature changes experienced in Canada.

After completely covering the metal plate with adhesive and putting in place at the back of the emblem, I used the angle grinder to cut a backing plate that will fit perfectly into the hole on the inside of the bumper. By the time I was finished, it was a perfect fit.

The end result is a much more secure emblem, that looks 100% original and unmodified.

I hope this helps you JDM bumper guys out!

Migs

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