Front Bumper/wiper Valence Sheet Metal Removal

Q: Front bumper/wiper valence sheet metal removal

I need the list expertise. I need to remove the valence or sheet metal between the windshield and the hood, any ideas?. Also the whole bumper and grill arrangement.

A: To remove the cowl panel (the sheet metal between the hood and the windshield), first remove the wiper arms then the four screws in the front of the panel under the hood.

As far as the bumper, you should be able to remove it in one piece. Look behind the bumper and in front of the radiator. To the left and right, you should see the bumper horns that are attached to the front of the frame. If you remove the bolts behind the bumper the whole assembly should come off in one piece.

A: I haven’t done the control arms yet, but the valance isn’t that bad. The hardest part is to remove the wiper arms. It’s best to use a special tool for this (I know JC Whitney sells it for about $10). Otherwise, you can use a screw driver to move the locking clip underneath. As the name implies though, the screw driver will probably screw up your paint job (that’s up to you whether it’s worth it or not). The locking clip is on the bottom of the wiper and presses against a knotch on the shaft. Once you have the wipers off, there are several screws along the front edge where the hood overlaps. On mine, once those screws were out, I could lift up on the front edge and slide the whole thing forward and out from under the chome window trim. This way, I didn’t have to remove the trim.

A: Whenever I find myself in a situation where the paint job might get scratched, I put some masking tape followed by a layer of duct tape down on the area that could be damaged. The masking tape protects the finish from the duct tape glue while the duct tape absorbs the scratch. After removal, some denatured alcohol should eliminate any residue.

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