Front and Rear Bumper Removal

[theKnifeArtist]

anyone have any tips for the removal of both the front and rear bumper and the nose piece? im taking it off, preping it and repainting it. is it hard to take these guys off? there a tuturial lurking somewhere?any help is appreciated
thanx

[Jeeves]

The front bumper isn't too bad, but it depends on whether you're taking off just the skin (the plastic) or the whole metal framing structure.

For the whole thing, there's two 17mm nuts to remove, which allow you to pull the bolts from up top (you'll see when you look under the bumper). Then you just start pulling and remove any bolts which are holding the plastic to the wheel wells. There's an angle brace in each of the wheel well areas too.

The skin, has lots of little bolts. However, if you take the bumper off first it's MUCH easier to work with.

I've never done the rear bumper, but I need to.

[theKnifeArtist]

so i started goin at the back bumper bolts, and i snapped like four of them and only got one out after trenching them with powerlube. bah...should i just snap them out if they won't come out the right way and drill and retread the holes afterwards?

[bgrieger]

If you're snapping them off you're likely not going to be able to salvage the fasteners anyhow. I'd say keep snapping them off and drill them all out. You can retap all the holes the same size later and go with a uniform set of stainless bolts. Keeps you from having to use 10 different sizes when some come out and others do not later.

[Jeeves]

Snapping the bumper bolts isn't uncommon at all. I lost two doing the front bumper. I don't even plan to re-install 'em.