Replacing front "smile"
 

Winter project #1. I'm replacing the warped rubber smileon my '76. What's the PITA factor? Is it just a matter of unbolting the front bumper and attachments?

I am looking to do this as well. Curious to know if you have to remove the entire bumper assembly to get it off...

I replaced mine....you have to remove the front bumper and remove all the rusted screws that hold everything together. Be careful about the bumper as there is a counter balance on the pax side and it is very heavy. About a six pack job.

Bob is right on. The job isn't technically hard, but it's more of a pain than one would think (dealing with parking lights, getting to some of the screws, etc). Get a helper for pulling the bumper off and putting it back on to protect your paint. It's easy to get it out of alignment and scratch the paint with the sharp ends.
In fact, I'll be doing sometouch-up paint repair work today because I was a little too impatient!
;)

Did it this past spring. It's a solid half day job--plan 4-6 hours. Can't rush through this one because if you do you'll scratch the paint on the bumper. Also think ahead on how you're going to support the bumber--make sure you use a towel or something soft. You will use lots of extension and swivel joints from your socket set. Working around the accordian pieces was tight. While I was in there, I inspected (and fixed) the electrical connections to the turn signal housings.

A six pack job is about right. If you're low on patience, stop at about 3 or 4 beers.

I have an old article regarding smile removal and replacement for anyone that needs it. Just let me know. Bungee cords work nicely if you are doing it by yourself.

I'd love to see the article...

shanehenderson@gmail.com

Thanks!

I would like it also...

Shoot me a PM with your e-mail and I will forward it. Better yet, if someone knows how to post the article here let me know. It is Gerry Berger's Excellence article on smile/chin spoiler installation.

As others have said, easy job just time consuming. You don't need anything more than ratchets and screw drivers, though I did use needle nose pliers to disconnect the wiring on the turn signal. Not much room to work in there.

One tip is that when working alone, you can use a floor jack to support the bumper as you begin to unscrew things. Works just like a second hand to keep the bumper from falling as you remove all the screws.

Tim, to post it you'll have to scan the article and save each page as a picture file.