Help! Can't Get Front Bumper Off

wrxnofx · wrxnofx's Garage

I can't get the front bumper off my '87. I've removed the two pieces behind each of the bellows. I've removed the front bumper trim (which the PO jackass had reinstalled with 2-sided tape instead of the plastic clips and plastic strip). I've removed the four main bumper bolts/washers.

There is nothing else holding it on, and yet it's like it's welded onto the car. I've pulled on it, I've pounded up on the underside of it, I've pushed up under it using my floor jack, but this sucker doesn't budge from the four studs.

The only other thing I can think of is to remove the driver's side bellows completely and try and yank on it from the side. But given how immovable it seems, I'd be shocked if that worked.

I'm out of ideas, and really frustrated. Does anyone else have any ideas?

super80 · 03-09-2015, 06:39 AM

When I removed mine, I followed this thread. Not sure if it will help:

'88 911 Bumper Removal

wrxnofx · wrxnofx's Garage

Thanks, super. Yup, that's the thread I used. The problem is that my bumper doesn't pull free.

kodioneill · kodioneill's Garage

They can be a bear you may have to remove both bellows and pry from both sides a little at a time with a large pry bar.

Jase77 · 03-09-2015, 07:37 AM

Hang in there and don't go mental on it!

I have just done the same job in the last week and it can be a ballache! My car had a full re-paint last May, so the bumper has only been back on for around 10 months and it still took a lot of persuasion to get off.

One thing I noticed was that the mounting studs on the impact absorbers were slightly bent and were fouling against the slots in the bumper. This was the reason why I took mine off because I noticed that the dealer or PO had stripped the threads off, probably by smashing it on and off.

I had to remove the bellows and give it a nudge left, right and back and forth. It eventually came free.

Take care to not let it drop onto the floor, or your foot because it is pretty heavy.

Also, when you get to put it back on make sure you protect the paintwork on the lower valance. I didn't and made a mess of the paintwork and turned a nice job into a disappointment!

Perservere with it and good luck, you'll get there.

wrxnofx · wrxnofx's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by kodioneill

They can be a bear you may have to remove both bellows and pry from both sides a little at a time with a large pry bar.

What part of the car do you put the pry bar against to gain leverage?

Thanks for the support, guys. I have a bit clearer head today so I'll give it a shot this evening hopefully.

Jesse16 · Jesse16's Garage

Just did pull the bumper from my 87 for a re-paint so I can confirm that if you've removed the 4 bolts on the bumper face and at the bellows, then it its one of two things.
1. the rather poorly aligned studs welded to the impact tube faces.
2. there are little rubber pads on the faces of those tubes that the studs capture. That rubber pad could be from time "glueing" the back of the bumper to the impact tube.
I didn't try this but if you've removed the lower valance, maybe you can reach up there and pry that area somehow and get it to move or break that bond.
When you bolt the bumper back on, you can actually tweak the Up/Down twist of the bumper by you much you tighten the nuts, one set is higher than the other. I don't believe you actually torque them down hard.

kodioneill · kodioneill's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by wrxnofx

What part of the car do you put the pry bar against to gain leverage?

Thanks for the support, guys. I have a bit clearer head today so I'll give it a shot this evening hopefully.

Use a block of wood for a fulcrum and pry off anything you can

wrxnofx · wrxnofx's Garage

Success!!!

Thanks a million, guys. Taking the bellows fully off was the ticket. I was then able to get a pry bar in there and pry just a bit. I was then able to wiggle the ends in a twisting fashion fore and aft, and the bumper just slid off suddenly. All very anticlimactic for how much effort it took on the front end...

Anyway, the obligatory picture:

I figured since everything is off (the whole reason is to replace a turn signal that a PO knackered up) I'd take off the front condenser bracket and bar, clean those up, and repaint them.

Jase77 · 03-09-2015, 11:25 PM

Congrats!

I thought the same thing. A lot of effort for a fairly simply procedure! I had to remove my washer bottle to get to the Bellow bolts!

Just a reminder to protect that lower valance when re-fitting the bumper! It may be a fairly tight fit to get it back in, so don't scratch it up like I did.

wrxnofx · wrxnofx's Garage

Thanks, Jase. Geez, I feel lucky for being able to get to mine easier than you.

I did notice that compared to X038F and his tutorial, I did not have that extra bumper piece on the front, right:

If that were in there, there is NO chance I would have been able to get the bellows off that side...

wrxnofx · wrxnofx's Garage

BTW - thanks, also, for the information you gave me in the other thread on the part numbers and what works and what doesn't.

Jase77 · 03-10-2015, 05:31 AM

No worries, and I am glad that I can be of help.

My bumper doesn't have those extra parts either and I hope it is because of another age related 'up-issue' or something!?

Hope the rest of the project goes smoothly for you.

As I cross one job of the top of the list another one inevitably gets added to the bottom.

Derek911 · 03-10-2015, 06:20 AM

He didn't remove the right baffle in the tutorial, just the metal trim piece attached to the baffle. He couldn't get at the right baffle due to the oil cooler, but he removed the bumper with the right baffle intact.

wrxnofx · wrxnofx's Garage

Quote:

Originally Posted by Derek911

He didn't remove the right baffle in the tutorial, just the metal trim piece attached to the baffle. He couldn't get at the right baffle due to the oil cooler, but he removed the bumper with the right baffle intact.

Well, yes and no. He didn't remove the right bellows because of that metal bar that is bolted to the bumper itself, which I believe is there as extra protection for the oil cooler in the event of a collision. If memory serves from other threads, that metal bar is not in the ROW cars, just the US versions. For reference, here is the bar we're talking about (the thing with the two channels in it):

For me, I had to remove the bellows on both sides so that I could yank the bumper at each end.

wrxnofx · wrxnofx's Garage

I just got done re-assembling the bumper back onto the car, and I think that helped me to realize why it was so hard to get off. The square rubber piece that fits between the bumper itself and the bumper shock has two rather large slots cut into it for providing some movement around the two mounting studs. The rubber square actually fits in between two metal channels in the back of the bumper. When I set the rubber squares over the studs, the rubber square dropped down until the studs were at the top of the slots. This caused the square to not fit into the channel in the back of the bumper.

I think what happened is that the PO just forced it on anyway without the rubber square in the channel, and tightened up the bolts. When I finally got the bumper off one of the squares was pretty distorted.

I found that the easiest way to work everything is to stick the rubber square in the back of the bumper, and friction between the channels holds it in place while you slide the bumper on. Just a tip for someone in the future to learn from my initial mistortune.