restorations lessons learned

[petrolblue83911]

While stripping trim from my 81 sc targa to prep for paint I learned the following (may be helpfull to others doing the same I hope!)


-You can remove the rear bumperettes without pulling the muffler. First remove the cowl trim below the bumper (6-8 sheet metal screws)

-Now you can reach inside the bumper and get a wrench in to remove the three nuts holding each bumperette. This is a pain and not easy to reach, but very do-able.
Note- if you are gettting parts from a parts car, be sure to check to see if it's a coupe or a targa or cabrio. The lower cowl parts are different on each...



-When pulling the front bumper, the bolts may hang up on the threads at the end of the bumper shocks (two on each side which do most of the holding for the bumper) use a rubber mallet to pop it off.-much easier if you first remove the rubber bellows at each end.

-Adam

[JFairman]

It's much easier to remove the bumper with the valence on to get at the muffler, then take the valence off the bumper afterward if doing that for some reason.

Best tip I can think of is to happily cut the wires to the license lights where they are visible under the bumper before removing it and install male and female water sheilded spade terminals there.
That will make everything SOOOO much easier and quicker when you reinstall the bumper.

Trying to fish those f...... wires through the small hole in the heatsheild and bumper on the backside through the inside length of the bumperettes to the licenses lights on the outside while holding the bumper up high enough to do that in the other hand is just totally ridiculous...