Major problems getting front bumper off!
Discussion
Iam taking my 1990 turbo front bumper off and it's proving to be a
nightmare!
Every nut and bolt is completely corroded. In total there are 24
nuts/bolts to remove before it'll come off. I have manage 19 but the
corner bolts I cannot remove as they are rounded off and I can't get
any access to get mole grips or even cut it off.
Has anyone else had these problems. Seeing as I don't need the old
bumper, I was thinking of hacking the damn thing off.
I had to move my ABS out of the way and my hands are cut to ribbons
trying to get at the other bolts. Even when I loosen a nut/ bolt, i
still have to use a spanner all the way until it comes off. I can't
turn any of the bolts with my hands, so each one is taking about 20-
30 minutes because you can't see the bolt, you have to feel for them.
It get even more difficult as I can only use a open ended spanner
because the bolt is touching the body and I can't get a ring spanner
over the top.
I need it finished before Donnington, any help will be appreciated.
Cheers,
Dave Walters
nightmare!
Every nut and bolt is completely corroded. In total there are 24
nuts/bolts to remove before it'll come off. I have manage 19 but the
corner bolts I cannot remove as they are rounded off and I can't get
any access to get mole grips or even cut it off.
Has anyone else had these problems. Seeing as I don't need the old
bumper, I was thinking of hacking the damn thing off.
I had to move my ABS out of the way and my hands are cut to ribbons
trying to get at the other bolts. Even when I loosen a nut/ bolt, i
still have to use a spanner all the way until it comes off. I can't
turn any of the bolts with my hands, so each one is taking about 20-
30 minutes because you can't see the bolt, you have to feel for them.
It get even more difficult as I can only use a open ended spanner
because the bolt is touching the body and I can't get a ring spanner
over the top.
I need it finished before Donnington, any help will be appreciated.
Cheers,
Dave Walters
Dave what about a little dremel tool and drill them out, I will be using one for when I have to remove my broken radiator duct and plastic housing for the fans, all new stainless bolts going back in so will just destroy the corroded rusty ones. Everything under there is shocking alright. I need to buy a proper lift for the car. Makes me nervous sitting under there where the car just sitting on wobbly jack stands.
Hi Dave
I'm having Friday off work to start prepping mine for a new paint job (want it ready for the summer!!). I'm going to remove both front and rear bumpers and valences, doors, boot, bonnet, lights, pods, everything on the front bulkhead, etc….. I already replaced all the roof fixing bolts with stainless ones when they snapped last summer, so should be no problem there!
I took the back bumper off over Christmas and ended up replacing the ‘washer plates’ with stainless ones and all the bolts – similar to your problems. I was expecting there would be a lot of trouble with the front one, and you sure have confirmed it for me!
If its of interest I found that good replacements are strips of 2mm thick Stainless that you can cut to length. Then rather than using nuts and bolts I used stainless captured nuts (the ones you put in with a riveter type of assembly). Works great
Back bumper should be easy this time though!
Gareth
I'm having Friday off work to start prepping mine for a new paint job (want it ready for the summer!!). I'm going to remove both front and rear bumpers and valences, doors, boot, bonnet, lights, pods, everything on the front bulkhead, etc….. I already replaced all the roof fixing bolts with stainless ones when they snapped last summer, so should be no problem there!
I took the back bumper off over Christmas and ended up replacing the ‘washer plates’ with stainless ones and all the bolts – similar to your problems. I was expecting there would be a lot of trouble with the front one, and you sure have confirmed it for me!
If its of interest I found that good replacements are strips of 2mm thick Stainless that you can cut to length. Then rather than using nuts and bolts I used stainless captured nuts (the ones you put in with a riveter type of assembly). Works great
Back bumper should be easy this time though!
Gareth
I know where you are comming from Dave and it for that very reason I did not remove the front bumper for the respray. I spent a whole weekend trying to remove the last two bolts and in the end gave up. I then decided that if it really needed to come off then I would just holes in the bumper to gain access and replace.
Steve, Just spoken to PNM this morning as my car was booked in to do some development work for PNM (using my car as a guinee pig). I will keep you update on this, it's very very interesting.
Pete reckons he can get the bolts out of the corners without damaging the bumper or body. He knows that they are completely corroded.
Be interesting to see if can suceed.
Also Iam having a new Hi-SPec brake kit fitted, hopefully before Donnington.
Cheers,
Dave walters
Pete reckons he can get the bolts out of the corners without damaging the bumper or body. He knows that they are completely corroded.
Be interesting to see if can suceed.
Also Iam having a new Hi-SPec brake kit fitted, hopefully before Donnington.
Cheers,
Dave walters
danny tattersall said:
Going off the subject a bit I know, but anybody tried removing the header tank on a SE? I ended up cutting holes in the fibre glass to get access to the nuts in the end.
Did you remove the trunk floor first? There is an access hole at the rear of the housing that the tank is mounted to...
Cheers,
Sanj
Sanj, you beat me to it. When I replaced my driver's side tank in December, I had to remove the header tank as part of the process. As soon as you remove the boot floor, there is a little access panel to get your 10mm spanner in.
Skerd, It's only taken me about 3 hours until I came stuck, three bolts plus the two stays to remove. i left the stays in because this is all that's really holding the bumper together. I knew I would have to take it to my local Lotus dealer which is only 2-3 miles away. If I'd had take these off then the bumper would have flew off. It's in tommorrow fingers crossed.
Dear All, I have some spare gold mesh from when I did my rear valance which I have decided to do the same on the front. It's gold anodoised aluminium so it won't rust. I know gold sounds cheesy but with my car being in NOrfolk Mustard, you'd be surprised how good it looks.
Cheers,
Dave walters
Skerd, It's only taken me about 3 hours until I came stuck, three bolts plus the two stays to remove. i left the stays in because this is all that's really holding the bumper together. I knew I would have to take it to my local Lotus dealer which is only 2-3 miles away. If I'd had take these off then the bumper would have flew off. It's in tommorrow fingers crossed.
Dear All, I have some spare gold mesh from when I did my rear valance which I have decided to do the same on the front. It's gold anodoised aluminium so it won't rust. I know gold sounds cheesy but with my car being in NOrfolk Mustard, you'd be surprised how good it looks.
Cheers,
Dave walters
Sanj & superdave,
You have got me feeling guilty that I butted in on this post now! Anyway, I did remove the boot panel although I did not remove all the way as the electrics looked like a pain to disconnect. Consequently, I could only pull the boot panel partially out of the way and could not do this and get on the back of the nuts too. An extra pair of hand would have been useful, but c' est la vie gotr it out in the end (although a little unconventionally.
You have got me feeling guilty that I butted in on this post now! Anyway, I did remove the boot panel although I did not remove all the way as the electrics looked like a pain to disconnect. Consequently, I could only pull the boot panel partially out of the way and could not do this and get on the back of the nuts too. An extra pair of hand would have been useful, but c' est la vie gotr it out in the end (although a little unconventionally.
Took my car into PNM in the end. The last 5 bolts were either rounded off, corroded or inaccessible without a lift.
They ground off all the bolts with an air driven dremmel type tool. The bumper was off in an hour and a half. They are making new captive strips for me tommorrow and hopefully fingers crossed my new Se/S300 bumper will be fitted.
I am putting gold mesh in all the spaces including the fog light space until I decided what to do about the fog light situation.
May end up putting a small set of fogs behind the mesh so you can't see them until I switch them on. May use this space for ducting to the brakes although I have a spare set of holes on the outer ones where it would normally service the chargecooler radiators.
Cheers,
Dave Walters
They ground off all the bolts with an air driven dremmel type tool. The bumper was off in an hour and a half. They are making new captive strips for me tommorrow and hopefully fingers crossed my new Se/S300 bumper will be fitted.
I am putting gold mesh in all the spaces including the fog light space until I decided what to do about the fog light situation.
May end up putting a small set of fogs behind the mesh so you can't see them until I switch them on. May use this space for ducting to the brakes although I have a spare set of holes on the outer ones where it would normally service the chargecooler radiators.
Cheers,
Dave Walters
, I am very jealous Dave Sorry to get off the topic from your bumper, but where are you getting your wheels from? For a S300 are they the same ones that you see on the S4s? I would love to get a set of wider wheels. My mechanic rekons I should covert mine into a S300 as well, take a lot of work though and modding to the engine. Those S300 seats also look tempting. Dam would have been nice to start off with an SE, oh well.
Hi Kylie,
The wheels are similar but no the same. The S300 are 16" & 17" rears whereas the S4s are 17" and 18" rears. It would be easiers to find a set of S4s wheels I think.
I am not sure yet what type of wheels I might go for.
With regards to seats, I have GT3 bucket seat in now which look similar to the S300.
I agree that yours would be a good candidate for a S300 lookalike. You don't have to make the engine 300BHP, just a few more ponies for stock.
Incidentally I was looking at the prices of the S300 stickers on the bumper and doors. They are an absolute rip off. Doors ones are £36 or $68USD Each! and the bumper one is £30 or $56. That's nearly $200USD just for 3 stickers! Obviously, I won't be buying these in a hurry.
Cheers,
Dave Walters
The wheels are similar but no the same. The S300 are 16" & 17" rears whereas the S4s are 17" and 18" rears. It would be easiers to find a set of S4s wheels I think.
I am not sure yet what type of wheels I might go for.
With regards to seats, I have GT3 bucket seat in now which look similar to the S300.
I agree that yours would be a good candidate for a S300 lookalike. You don't have to make the engine 300BHP, just a few more ponies for stock.
Incidentally I was looking at the prices of the S300 stickers on the bumper and doors. They are an absolute rip off. Doors ones are £36 or $68USD Each! and the bumper one is £30 or $56. That's nearly $200USD just for 3 stickers! Obviously, I won't be buying these in a hurry.
Cheers,
Dave Walters
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