Front bumper bolts removal

[fla 9]

Just tried removing the four front bumper bolts, got one off, the other three are stuck solid despite a liberal use of WD40 - tbh it doesnt really get in towards the thread so i am doubtful about its use.

Used an impact wrench which stripped the top of both the 17mm sockets i have! :shock: Any ideas on what else to try?

 

Cheers all, and hope we're enjoying the cricket (off topic I know 8) )

[jenks 0]

I reckon you need heat, I no its sounds shit but i dont have money or space for gas bottles! So i use a heat gun,you can be there for ages but it works! :oops: :lol: Also give them a good old bang with a hammer,sometimes gives the bolts a shock and frees them off.

[fla 9]

Gave em a dose of plusgas so i'll leave that to soak for a while and see if that helps. If not, then it looks like a hammer job - not really in favour of heat tbh.

[H8RRA 0]

a plmbers torch doesn't cost a great deal to get sufficient heat on the bolts - don't like the sound of the fact you've rounded the heads!!!!

 

Lots of heat and a wall drive socket required, me thinks

[dazzyvr6 0]

henny had the same problem with his,send him a pm and see what he did to remove his

[Henny 0]

Me? I swore a LOT! :lol:

 

I snapped the head off one of my bumper bolts while doing the engine swap into H-YYU which made life difficult to say the least...

 

I soaked the bolts in plusgas 3 or 4 times over a few hours while I stripped everything else off the engine I could and then tried to undo them again after I found that they were WELL tight and had snapped the head off the first one.

 

I also used a VERY long bar with a GOOD quality socket which I'd hammered on to make sure it wasn't gonna slip and screw up the heads... This worked on 3 of 'em, but the first one had sheared as soon as I put some torque on it... :roll:

 

I had to drop the front subframe off the car with the bumper still in place (not easy, but it is do-able) then get my mini-blowtorch onto the bolt and a GOOD quality set of maul grips onto the headless bolt with a bar on their handles to get some swing on 'em... 45 minutes later I had a headless bolt sat on the floor, several sore muscles and some skinned knuckles... :lol:

 

Take it nice and slow and don't try to rush the bolts out else you'll end up snapping 'em...

 

Personally, I'd get one of those mini-blowtorches and slam some heat into the bolt for a few minutes, then smack it with a hammer a couple of times, then get a good socket and a LONG bar on it to try and get 'em out... 8)

 

Good luck!

 

Oh, and use some good quality stainless steel bolts with washers and a drop of threadlock to put it back together again! :lol:

[fla 9]

Cheers for that Henny, done the swearing bit about 100 times so far, the knuckles ar a bit worn so that leaves the blowtorch.

Will ahve another go at the weekend. btw best place for ss bolts?

 

Thanks

[Henny 0]

I got the bolts from a local shop called "threadfast"... can you guess what they sell?!? :lol:

 

Have a look in the yellow pages for a "fixings" shop/manufacturer and you'll find what you're looking for...

 

Take one of the old bolts down to the shop, give it to 'em and ask 'em for 4 of 'em in Hi-tensile stainless steel... Should only be a couple of quid or so... 8)

[fla 9]

Good stuff, cheers a bundle Henny.

[gibber 0]

Another vote for giving it another smack with a hammer, good for breaking the rust, makes you feel better at least! haha

[Henny 0]

yup, and if that doesn't work, find a BIGGER HAMMER... :lol: 8)

[fla 9]

Bit of feedback all, Used the hammer, but still managed to skid the sockets being used. Decided to use a 6-point socket in the impact wrench - hey presto bolt came off almost easily. As a general commentif anyone thinks plusgas will help on these it wont becasue there's no access to the bolts. Anyone jobs a goodun now, just need to gat some ss bolts, a bumper respray and fit it all back.

[Astrasteve 0]

arite guys, i have a panel that needs fitting to my C and i was wondering if any of u knew the easiest way. Firstlythe panel sits directly below the radiator just above an engine mount. where exactly r the front bumper bolts located also...?

[Henny 0]

Is that the one that goes forwards to meet the back of the bumper where the spoiler attaches and that has a pipe looped through it for the Power Steering? It's often known as (ready for this? ;) ) the radiator support cross member! :lol:

 

They are known for going rusty and nasty looking, but that tends to only be the bit by the bumper which isn't actually needed for much. On J-DUB, I simply removed the rusty bit... 8)

 

Anyway, to remove it you need to remove the bumper and spoiler, front engine mount and front subframe.

 

Undo the shed load of bolts that hold on the lower front spoiler and remove the spoiler.

undo the 4 17mm headed bolts which hold the bumper on (they're under the car under the chassis legs) - DO NOT undo the 13mm headed bolt to the side of the 17mm bolts yet or the engine will drop on your head! - And remove the bumper (after disconnecting the fogs and indicators!)

Undo the nut on the top of the front engine mount and support the engine so it can't drop.

Undo the jubilee clips which hold the rubber P/S pipes onto the metal pipe that goes through the panel you want to remove, take the pipes off and drain the P/S fluid.

Support the front cross member and undo the 13mm headed bolts (one either side) this will allow the cross member to drop down and out.

IIRC there's then another 13mm headed bolt that holds the panel you want to replace in on either side.

Obviously when you drop this down, the radiator is just gonna be hanging there, so you may want to remove it earlier in the work, or you could support it with some rope/string via the slam panel while you replace the support cross member... ;)

 

NOTE - This was written off the top of my head having done this a few times - I may have missed a step/bolt or two out but I'm pretty sure it's not far off...

 

Refitting is pretty much the reverse of stripping it down except that you need to put P/S fluid back in to the system again! ;) :lol:

 

Good luck, and hope this helps... 8)

[Astrasteve 0]

cheers henny,sounds spot on to me! i'll c how i get on