Jump to content

Removing the front fenders?


ohms

Recommended Posts

hey guys

so on the yahoo board, someone posted they have a 84 sti xn6 5spd, not running, and theyre putting it up for grabs (free)...

im driving up to boston this weekend, and the guy is very much along the way, in CT....i would like to stop by and snap up a couple things for my pug (and am not opposed to removing anything that you guys could use too, as long as its not a huge operation to get off, and i'd just charge shipping - sorry bean! i know shipping is a sore point for ya). i figure norcal might be interested, as thats his model exactly (i have the same car, but automatic). Anyway, besides culling window switches, handles, trim, and lil bits like that, my pug could use a drivers side front fender (someone crushed mine up anonymously over the holiday season). I resigned myself to not bothering with it, but if i got the part for free, well that changes things.

Anyway! so i searched the yahoo board about removing the 505 fenders - apparently theyre glued in areas?! some said to use a heat gun to soften it, then you cut it with a putty knife...i did see mention though of just using a knife, and no heat gun, and that its manageable. Well, its cold outside, and i'll be doing this quite a ways from my own home, so im wondering - for those of you that have removed the front fenders, how much of a pain was it? do you remember how many bolts, maybe even their locations? ive removed fenders on old american cars, and thats pretty straightforward - find the bolts in the obvious places, pull fender, find it hanging by one last bolt you missed, get that, and bobs your uncle.

Also, anyone ever remove the shifter bezel from the automatic trans console? (thats a shot in the dark, i know. lol) Otherwise i'll just pull and pry gentle til i figure it out.

thanks in advance for any help!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fender is pretty labour intensive. You need a really hot day, or a good heat source. The factory manual advised a space heater to get the fender up to 100C before cutting the glue. If you don't heat it enough and pull too hard the fender will "oil can" and be dented. Too hot (like with a acetylene torch) and it'll oil can... Heat gun is OK but very time consuming since it'll only heat a small area at a time.

If you don't have the right tools or equipment I'd advise against attempting the fender unless you're in a garage. I preferred a very sharp filleting knife as the olfa blades snap too easily, and a really hot day when I remove mine. Failing that I want to get a little electric radiant heater so I can heat the panel up properly before removing.

Console if I recall just pops out. Some plastic tabs that slide into the side so pry side to side to verify and don't pry it up. Pretty sure is slides to the side and then the opposite site goes up and it comes out.

No worries on parts - I'm pretty much set for stuff. :)

Rabin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

WRT removing the console -- rabin is right, the only thing i would add is that there are a couple of screws on either side that have to come out as well. but -- to remove the shift bezel on an automatic car, you have to remove the shift handle as well (b/c the top of the shift handle is too large for the bezel to just lift out) -- here's how to do it on a 4hp22, i suspect the 3hp22 is similar....

andré

Link to comment
Share on other sites

o lord, none of that is good news for me lol. but thanks for the info! i need to take the time to navigate the 505.fr site more, but the times i have attempted, im low on patience after getting home from work...

and ugh. my interest in my 505 goes up and goes down in cycles (i really want to "start over" with a turbo 5spd) but the gf wants to keep the car. i found a PRISTINE volvo 850R maybe 2 weeks ago (while still looking for a wagon for my folks haha - thanks bean for the volvo info!) and it was actually veto'd by my lady. This, from a woman who fought tooth and nail with me to get an a4, jetta, volvo, bmw, and the like before i bought the pug for a fraction of those cars' costs.

she's been sad for a while about the fender getting hit. i have to see what i can find in my parents basement. if i can find their heat gun (or a serious blowdryer) and some cutting wheels for the dremel/drill....i may be a fool real 505 enthusiast and go about extracting this fender in 30degree weather....even i still get a lil miffed when i see the crumpled fender these days (i thought i'd get over it and just say to myself "well, shes my city car" but it kills me)

im going to go next weekend to attack this parts car. so it may be 40degrees out, not 30...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Omar

I recently tried to remove fenders from my parts car in Steffen's garage with a grinder and lots of cut off wheels. My advise is use a plama cutter so you can cut around the fender and then take your time with the glue. After a going thru more then a dozen wheels I had to give up. The car was stripped and on jack stands I had still had difficulty.

Arun

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Grab anything you can that is a switch: Sunroof, windows, mirrors, hazard, clock, cigar lighter, fog lights, cruise control on/off, etc etc etc. I've found all to be good to have long term. If you have time, go for the headlight switch, cruise stalk/switch and turn signal. All 3 are pretty easy to remove with the bottom of the steering column plastic removed.

More to grab:

Relays! I have a bag full from my two parts cars. Why? Well, the damn things aren't cheap and having a bag of spares virtually ensures I'll never get stuck as I'll have one to replace a bad one.

Front, side and rear dome lights and the front center roof plastic piece that the visors snap into.

Check the rear tail light boards and if good, grab the light and board as an assembly. You'll be glad to have those spares too.

As for the heat gun, a hair dryer won't cut it. If you can buy a good cheap heat gun, grab one as they have many uses. If you are brave you might try a propane torch to heat the sealer. Be careful of fumes, fire etc.

Good luck!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

now i realize, dunno what i was thinking about the shifter bezel for, since its a stick parts car...anyway

thanks for the parts list, bryan - i had some of what you listed on my list already, but where do i look for the relays? theyre somewhere near the fusebox right? or are they in there with the fuses?

and thanks for the info about the fenders, aryun. kinda bummed about that, i wish it was an all bolts affair, a free fender would be great. i think i'll at least attempt to remove it, but im not gonna have my heart set on leaving with it if i cant get the glue cut off (forget using a dremel, it would probably just heat it up and get the gooey mess all over my wheel/dremel wouldnt it)

im also gonna get the seat belt receiving ends from the front seats, as mine sometimes stick/refuse to hold once in a while. and if i get those off, im wondering if should try and take the front seats as well heh

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the manual/auto thing had occurred to me, but i wasn't sure if that question was related to the parts car or not. but -- you've mentioned before how you'd like to convert to a manual transmission at some point...i know your gf is against it, but what would be the harm in starting to get some of the parts? the heavy bits (transmission, etc.) might not be feasible, but what about the pedals, clutch stuff, etc? just spitballing here...

i'm definitely sympathizing with you regarding the fender thing.i have a replacement fender i got off of a guy on the list, my original driver's side front fender is crunched so i'll be changing it out at some point. cost me like US$75, and i think that included shipping. it's one thing to change out a fender it in one's own garage or in a shop, quite another to do it in a scrapyard or someone's driveway...

andré

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i think at some point i did daydream about swapping her to a stick, but scratch that. only swap i'd consider is moving up to a 4speed auto from my 3. I think also i'd consider an entire drivetrain swap (sr20, gm ecotec, and their respective transmissions) before i'd consider just a peugeot trans swap)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The use of torches are a must to separate the fender from the chassis... Unless you like bloody knuckles or swearing at the car and being all crazy determined for 1 to 1 1/2 hours per side without them especially if it's cold out... It usually takes a good solid 45 minute job separating them with unbolting them and using torches, per side.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 years later...

I just succeeded in removing a front fender, and while it wasn't easy, I did find a slightly easier way to get through the adhesive than simply warming it up and carving it away. I started with a heat gun, but the problem with that is the adhesive actually becomes more tacky, and it stretches when you go after it with any kind of scraper. What sped the process up significantly was using a simple putty knife like this one and a hammer. Holding the putty knife mostly parallel to the fender, I could pound it right through the adhesive between the fender and the chassis. Once I had a few inches done at the bottom, I could get more of a gap and hammer up and forward, gently easing the fender away from the chassis as I went. Here is a picture of the fender and chassis to illustrate where they are bonded together:

dbUsj5W.jpg

ZxvwpKk.jpg

TS2mR0g.jpg

There is also one nut that must be removed from inside the A pillar:

aIysSdL.jpg

The whole process is definitely a pain in the butt, but I had a far easier time dealing with the adhesive through brute force than softening it up.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seriously made me long for an old DS. I could remove all four doors and all four fenders on one of those in less time than it took me to get this damned thing off. But when a fender is rusted through the top edge and the lower front corner is essentially held together by the side marker, you don't have much choice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks Karl! I'll have to give this a go this summer when parting cars. Just to make sure though - no damage was done to the metal that was visable on the painted size was there?

There was always a risk of damage if not done properly, so if the putry knife did the trick with no scratches in the metal I'll definitely give it a try.

Rabin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The putty knife is thinner and more flexible than the fender, so there is no harm whatsoever to the outside surface. I should probably clarify that I had warmed up the adhesive a bit with a heat gun, so it might still help to soften it somewhat, but by the time I was done it was definitely back to the ambient temperature.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Hey Karl

Thanks for the advice on fender removal,I'm getting ready to finish parting out the sedan I picked up from you.

Glad to see you found the fenders you needed

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...