im trying to slowly strip the crappy layers of paint and primer off my car as i get a chance to so i figured id take a fender off tomorrow and strip it down and prime it....im just curious does the fender just lift off or do i have to do soemthing with the headlight bucket and all that stuff....??? is it a real pain to put it back on again???

 

bumpage.....

 

There are 6(i think) bolts up top that need removed, 2(") on the underside, botls where it connects to the stone deflector and valance, bumper i think, undo wiring...just start unhooking everything...

The headlight bucket will coem with it and u just need to lift up then out...

 

so i need to undo the headlight wiring too then??? i did the side light...i thought the headlight bucket was a seperate piece....


one of the main bolts on the bottom is spinning in its hole and isnt loosening at all....what to do....?

 

+1. You have the bolts on top of the fender (clearly visible) then there are two that go to the radiator support (look in front down by the grill) then there are two, one or two from the headligh bucket to the valance and one to the stone deflector. CAUTION: the headlight buckets are only pot metal and will crack or break easily if you force the rusted bolts. Make sure to lube adequately and give it some time to penetrate. If the nut is stuck, don't force it or you will be buying a new bucket.

Then there are two at the bottom rear of the fender going into the rocker (get on your back and look up) . Again, lube well as these are usually rusted and forcing the bolt may rip out the nut embedded into the rocker on one, and the other goes into a j clip that is on a bracket held in place by a screw in the rear splach sheild. Forcing this one will twist that bracket up. May be easier to unscrew the lower splash shield screw and remove bracket with fender so you have better access to lube. Last is the bolt accessable from the door jamb. Open the door an look forward to the fender, you will see a bolt above the upper hinge. That should be it other than removing the grill and bumber obviously. There is a bumber bracket that attaches end of bumber to fender. Same issue with lube here. Don't force or you will bend the fender.

I generally spray well with PB blaster etc. and let them sit for a few days, then check. If I get resistance I will lube again and move the bolt back and forth to help the lube work its way in there. Patience is a virtue here. I cracked by headlight bucket removing one of my fenders. Oh well, you live and you learn.
Good luck .

 

ok i think i got everything except for the one that is near the driver door going int the rocker panel....it just spins in the hole...i dont know what to do??? the whole fenderis real loose but i cant lift it off until that one comes out...how do i get that bolt out???

 

ok so here is a picture of the bolt holding up the whole process.......it just spins around forever...there is slight resistance though so i dont know what to think....or what to do....

its the back bottom one, closet to the driver door.....




[IMG]local://upfiles/12972/96C3E5DFE41F4A04AAE3DF04F8604636.jpg[/IMG]

 

Try using a blade screw driver, and put the blade under the edge of the bolt so you can apply a little pressure on the bolt by prying up a tad, then use your socket wrench to turn the bolt. The nut on the other side is most likely rusted to the bolt, so you may just have to use a nut splitter or a grinding wheel (dremel) and cut the bolt head off to get it to turn loose.

 

well there is just zero clearance for a dremel and the the prying of the screw driver wont work because the bolt head is still flush up against the hole and theres no way to get a screw driver or something in that gap....or lack of gap....

 

ok.....well i tried drilling it out and it wasnt even breaking the surface of the bolt (what are these things made out of diamond??? jeez) so i got sorta mad and picked up the fender and essentially ripped it off...it ripped through the paper thin sheet metal no sweat....now i have a fender off the car and a bolt still in the car.....oh well.