Removing front and rear facias...

[Lwanmtr]

I am thinking to remove my facias to do a bit o' work on them, since it may be delayed for me to have funds to take her up to DMCNW for inspection and new suspension. Wondering if anyone had an easy to read diagram showing all the bolts to remove? I dont need to remove the impact abosrbers (hopefully)..just the facias.

Thanks

[sdg3205]

No diagram needed.

Remove tail lights

Remove closing plate for engine cover release and unhook cable. Remove metal clip from cable and pull cable out of the fascia.

4 via the visible L and R brackets (8 if you remove the bracket entirely) 13 mm
Possibly 2 from the inside of each pontoon into the closing plate (these are harder to get at, but you can remove your carbon canister and air intake in the pontoons for access) M7 IIRC. These vary.
6? x 10mm nuts along the bottom

2 x 10mm nuts hidden up the bottom sides , outside of the exults tips. Feel for them with your hands. They are tough to see.

I think that's it

[Lwanmtr]

Thanks. That helps some. What about the front?

[Nicholas R]

You also need remove the side marker lights and feed the wires and bulbs into the fender. Also, dont forget to disconnect the black electrical connector in the corner of the engine bay as the tail light wiring harness will stay with the rear fascia.

[mluder]

Thanks. That helps some. What about the front?

Yeah, Dave.

What about the front? Always just half the work from you...
Actually - I really am curious. I've had the back off and it was pretty easy. Front... I have no idea where to start.

Cheers
Steven

[sdg3205]

Hahah. This is for the burn on the other thread, isn't it?!

Front is tougher, removing the headlights and all that jazz. I haven't removed a front in a few years. To quote my grade 4 math teacher - "it's not hard, it's just more easy steps."

Over to you, Steve.

[awildermode]

Hahah. This is for the burn on the other thread, isn't it?!

Front is tougher, removing the headlights and all that jazz. I haven't removed a front in a few years. To quote my grade 4 math teacher - "it's not hard, it's just more easy steps."

Over to you, Steve.

You have to remove the headlights? I had to change the lights once, and found it quite difficult to get a screwdriver between the fascia and lamp. It took a lot of time and muscle, but I finally got the screws out. I decided to leave the upper corner screws out. I thought I was doing it wrong and figured it would be easier to remove the fascia to change the lamps.

Due to the technique involved, it lead me to think that eyebrows are the direct result of removal/install of headlamps. :p

[Lwanmtr]

I wouldnt bother taking the front facia off, as I could repair it on the car...however, the right headlight bracket is loose or something, so I kinda have to take it off to see if I can repair that.

[DeloreanJoshQ]

Front Fascia removal/install
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD6U-GTQz-w

[Lwanmtr]

Thanks, that will help alot.

[DMC-81]

Front Fascia removal/install
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD6U-GTQz-w

I watched that video (thanks Josh), and used the procedure in the Workshop Manual, P:02:17

[Lwanmtr]

Just sucks that DMC wasnt around long enough for Hanes or Chilton to do a book...had one for every car ive had..

[DMC-81]

I think the Workshop Manual is posted online somewhere, otherwise, a hard copy from DMC is a good resource/investment.

[Rich_NYS]

Rob,

I've had my front fascia off & likely have some useful pics. It looks like you now have what you need, but if you run into something and need a pic/view of something, let me know. I might also remove mine soon so I could dig into it sooner than later if needed.

Have fun!

[Lwanmtr]

Yeah, any useful pics would be great...can never have too much info...hehe

[Lwanmtr]

I started taking off the fascias...

Front is going to be a pain as a couple of the studs just spin on the rock screen and lower part.

The rear I started...I undid the 2 lower nuts on fenders, the heat sheild and the 4 bolts on the pontoons, but its still holding. I started to undo the 4 inside the fascia, but they seem to have nuts inside the pontoon and get so far, then just spin, so I didnt go any further with those til im sure they need to be undone (and well, how to undo them).

Any Help appreciated. Thanks

3980339804

[DMC-81]

I started taking off the fascias...

Front is going to be a pain as a couple of the studs just spin on the rock screen and lower part.

The rear I started...I undid the 2 lower nuts on fenders, the heat sheild and the 4 bolts on the pontoons, but its still holding. I started to undo the 4 inside the fascia, but they seem to have nuts inside the pontoon and get so far, then just spin, so I didnt go any further with those til im sure they need to be undone (and well, how to undo them).

Any Help appreciated. Thanks

3980339804

Hi Rob,

If you are referring to the upper rock screen bolts, yes, I also had one bolt spin. I had to get the open end of a combination wrench (10 mm?) on the cage nut ( SP10158 ) behind the fascia before I could get it loose. The SS cage gives way and allows the square nut to spin. Here's a pic of what they look like:

39805

If you have to replace those 5 cage nuts, they're hard to find. I bought a bunch, so PM me if you need some.

For the rear, I guess you'll have to decide if you want to take the fascia/ rear closing panel off as one unit, or whether to just take the fascia off. If you want to just take the fascia off there are 6 M6 nuts, 3 per side just inside by the taillight holes. Here's a pic:

39806

That's what I did. But if you want to take the closing panel off, you have to disconnect the latch cable and the harness.

Another pic of the panel:

39807

My car did not have those extra bolts in the pontoon, just the 4 M8 bolts that you pictured. That must be a feature on later cars, so if they spin, I wouldn't be able to help.

Hopefully the rest helps.

[Lwanmtr]

Thanks. I had originally talked to Toby at DMCNW and told me how to take off the whole rear fiberglass, so thats what I was doing....though I had originally called to ask about the 3 studs (like what you pictured) on the fascia itself. When I called him later, he didnt know what I was talking about with the extra 4 bolts...and they arent even shown in the workshop manual....so I'm wondering if maybe they were added by po. Tomorrow I think I'm going to just pull the fascia (my original plan) and try to retighten the one i loosend.

I'm probably going to have to remove the whole fascia, spoiler, rock screen at once, then try and get the nuts free when I can access them easier.
Rock screen will probably need replacing. most of the tabs along the top rusted off.

[Rich_NYS]

Rob,

I've been looking through my fascia pics to see if I have anything that would be useful. I'm not finding much from when I removed the front fascia off my first car, but I have some pics of the rear fascia removal from my car now. I'm not sure I have the bolts you're talking about, can you post a pic?

Mine is completely apart, so if there's anything I can help with by checking my disassembled one let me know...

[David T]

Rob,

I've been looking through my fascia pics to see if I have anything that would be useful. I'm not finding much from when I removed the front fascia off my first car, but I have some pics of the rear fascia removal from my car now. I'm not sure I have the bolts you're talking about, can you post a pic?

Mine is completely apart, so if there's anything I can help with by checking my disassembled one let me know...

As long as you have the front facia removed you should install an aluminum channel in it to prevent the facia from warping.

[Jonathan]

I started taking off the fascias...

Front is going to be a pain as a couple of the studs just spin on the rock screen and lower part.

The rear I started...I undid the 2 lower nuts on fenders, the heat sheild and the 4 bolts on the pontoons, but its still holding. I started to undo the 4 inside the fascia, but they seem to have nuts inside the pontoon and get so far, then just spin, so I didnt go any further with those til im sure they need to be undone (and well, how to undo them).

Any Help appreciated. Thanks

3980339804

Are you still having trouble getting the rear fascia off?

Here are some pictures from when I had mine off and another recap of what needs to be disconnected.

Taillights come out to allow access to the bolts on each side for the L bracket. This should be two per side. Taillight boards get electrically disconnected, but harness stays in fascia.

Lower engine cover cable needs to be disconnected. The left taillight removal helps, but the main access is the cover on the front side. Remove it and you can either unhook the end of the cable from the clip, or remove the two bolts that hold the latch itself in place and take the whole thing out. The cable is routed through the fascia from the hole just to the side of the left L bracket. Snake it out of the fascia entirely and tuck it somewhere out of the way until you go to put things back together (if you're going to run the engine with the fascia removed, keep the cable somewhere out of reach of the A/C belt).

Disconnect the wiring harness at the bulkhead connection area. It needs to come out as one piece with the fascia. It may be routed in and under or around your coolant bottle. Snip the zip ties holding it in place if necessary. You do not need to do anything with the engine bay light fixture or wiring as it stays with the fascia all as one assembly. Same goes for the license plate lights. You do not technically need to remove the license plate bezel, or plate or lights or wiring to remove the fascia (unless you're replacing the light fixtures or a bulb or something).

Rear marker lights need to be removed. Remove the two screws on each rear lense, and pull the bulb receptacle straight out from the back of the plastic. It is probably rusty and will be tight or stiff to move. There are no threads and no screws or bolts. It is just a snug fit and more so when old and worn from water getting in there. Go easy and wiggle until it is free. Once you have those separated, feed the wiring with bulb back through as it needs to come out with the fascia.

The two main portions of the rear fascia can (and perhaps, should) be removed together from the car. It can also be reinstalled as one piece. There are nine screws along the top edge of the fascia that combine the two portions. These nine screw heads are also where the lower engine cover will nestle into and against when back together and the lower engine cover is closed (i.e. if the screw heads are sticking out too far, they may interfere. Do a visual check here once you're putting it back together). The other main way those two portions are held together are three nuts per side that use the studs which are epoxyed into the outer fascia piece, to go through three per side holes in that inside portion, and then a nut and washer go on each to tighten it up. The nuts are a little tricky to reach because you generally access them by reaching inside the two portions. Easier to do when off the car than still on. That inside piece is what will have all the electrical still connected to it once they are apart.

Other than the two main bolts on each side accessed from the taillight openings, the other main area it is secured to the frame, is along the muffler heat shield. Again this area uses the studs which are originally epoxyed into the plastic. The centre of the fascia has seven studs that are located between the two exhaust pipes and below those eight symmetrical/cosmetic holes you can see from behind the car. The metal heatshield has seven corresponding holes that go with each stud and then have one washer and one nut to hold each in place.

In addition to those seven studs, there are two more studs, one on each corner, that hold the plastic fascia in place on the outside of the exhaust pipes. They attach in a similar way, with the epoxyed stud going through a hole in a metal bracket and one washer and one nut to finish them.

I also did not have any of these extra bolts into the pontoon as others have mentioned. You will need to look for those on your car if you think they are there. That should be all that is holding it on the car, other than just an overall "stuck together" inertia you'll need to break if it has never been apart. The foam cushion that is bolted to the frame will very likely be peeled and flaking and helping keep the plastic stuck where it is. It is also a snug fit to get it in there and lined up with the rear quarters but will more or less just lift up and out when finally free. Be patient and wiggle it or work it gently to free it and if it just doesn't want to budge, then stop and find out why as it is likely something not initially seen that you're trying to force.

These two photos are trying to show the bracket on each corner which is for the epoxyed bolt on the outside of the exhaust tips. You can see my passenger side one still had the rusty stud chunk left in it.
3981139812

This photo is showing the holes in the bottom of the heatshield which line up with the seven studs epoxyed into the plastic, in between the two exhaust tips.
39813

Pictures prior to separating the two portions (done outside the car).
You can see the eight "symmetrical" holes are not very symmetrical when eight of the nine epoxyed studs are gone and not holding things tightly in place.
39817

Here you can see the heads of some of the nine screws that will ultimately be resting against the edge of the lower engine cover when closed.
398163981539814

You can see here the three studs on the inside of the main outer plastic portion that line up with the holes on the inside portion.
39820

The slightly lighter gray coloured area in the rectangular shape is where the L bracket will connect to.
39818

The stud location outside the exhaust tips (all but one of mine was rusted away and gone, out of the nine total that is).
3982139819

Just a pic for some perspective of how things are arranged.
39822

Someone was mentioning the way the latch is supposed to work on the bulkhead cover recently. This is what my two halves look like (the bottom clip that is). I think a portion is missing, as others found. Mine stays in place by using the top clasp and together with being wedged to some degree in place with wiring harnesses or coolant hoses nearby. Or the Force.
3982339824

[delgato]

My rear fascia had those bolts that went into the pontoon.

They also did not want to come out either and would just spin.

My solution was a saws-all.

It did scuff up a little bit on the pontoon and back part of the fascia but nothing serious and it will never be seen at all.

Good luck.

[Lwanmtr]

I got the rear fascia off...just took it off, rather than messing with the extra bolts on the pontoons...came off pretty easy...and after I went to autozone and picked up a bendy socket head, so did the lower support bracket.

What do you mean aluminum channel, David?

Tomorrow, Im gonna have another go at the front. See if I can coax the spoiler and rock screen nuts out..if not I'll have to take it all off in one go, so I can get access to those.....stay tuned for more......lol

You can see some of the pics in my thread on restoring.