Carrera front bumper reinforcement piece

[Jack Stands]

I had to remove the front bumper on my '84 Carrera, and need advice on reassembly. With a lot of cussing, we were able to remove the accordion attachment nuts to remove the bumper, but I cannot reach the studs to get the washers and nuts back on with the 'reinforcement bar' (to protect the oil cooler I assume) in place. Can it be removed and then reinstalled with the rest of the bumper in place? Does the oil cooler have to removed to access these nuts? I'd love to know how Porsche initially installed these on the assembly line.

Any advice would be much appreciated. BTW, the Hella Supertones I installed to replace the non-functioning horns sound great!

[gomezoneill]

I think you need to remove the cooler not that difficult. I tossed mine in the junk pile after installing a elephant cooler on my sc. I added the scoop for extra air flow in the reflector housing so I had to toss that piece.

[Jack Stands]

I was thinking the same thing - removing that piece of metal would certainly allow better access to the area and not really cause any issues ( unless you get hit in the right front fender). I was hoping to not have to remove the oil cooler since it would be a messier job, but it may be necessary. Is there enough flex in the oil lines to not have to disconnect them at the cooler? I was also wondering if leaving the relatively worthless fog lights out would not also improve air flow to the cooler.

[gomezoneill]

I don't think you have to disconnect the lines. I believe the cooler can be moved out of the way and maybe use a 2x4 to hold it in place while you work. It's still tight in there though.

[javadog]

I like to remove the valance to get it out of the way. You might try assembling the bellows, bumper and the little metal pieces behind the bellows together first as an assembly, then installing all that on the car in one piece.

There's not a lot of flexibility in the soft cooler lines so you won't get much movement out of the cooler.

JR

[porschenut]

You don't have to remove anything. Leave the bellows attached to the bumper and remove the entire bumper. Then you can remove the protection plate and the bellows. Installation is the reverse. I've done it a thousand times.

[Jack Stands]

I take it that the protection plate can be removed and reinstalled with the bumper mounted to the car? It's the rearmost bellows studs that I am having issues trying to track the nuts back on (with only ~1" of clearance between the body and the reinforcement.

[bkreigsr]

That's the NHTSA mandated protection plate. It is only on US models because they failed the 5 mph front end test whereby a 5 mph impact could not cause more than $500 in damage. Failure came when the bumper retracted into the oil cooler. So if you remove it, make sure all your front end impacts are over 5 mph - where the aluminum plate was of no use to begin with.
Bill K

[bkreigsr]

Originally Posted by Jack Stands

....issues trying to track the nuts back on with only ~1" of clearance between the body and the reinforcement.

Welcome to the world of Porsche DIY - wait till you have to remove the alternator.
Bill K

[rattlsnak]

most people simply leave that piece off.. (think of the weight savings!)

[Jack Stands]

I've actually been wrenching on Porsches as a hobby for the past 40 years, though mainly on 914-6s. Till you've removed an alternator in a 914-6 with the engine in the car, you haven't felt the true pain of Porsche DIY maintenance.

Now that I finally sprang for a mid rise scissor lift, I'm enjoying it a lot more once again, though all the added complications of the later 911s certainly don't make it any easier (do you really need five blower motors for the heating/AC system?). Too much crap has been added onto the pure basic design over the years!