How to Remove the Front Bumper

[chemsales]

I am going to order and intall these in the next couple of weeks. I'll be sure to get some before and after pics.

http://www.automotion.com/front-grille-inserts-gt3-996-997-silver-for-porsche.html

[914rrr]

As I was entering the expressway this guy in his 4 X truck deliberately moves into the only place I can enter so I hit the brakes & horn but HORN! I don't use the horn very much & this is on an 04' Targa with 15000 miles but I sure needed it then. Can't possibly be both horns but after reviewing the info on the site I figured that was all that was left & anyway I could at least clean the radiators while I was at it. Well it was both horns & a trip to Pep Boys for the double the decible model worked out great. Only issue was with the rivits by the wheel wheels. They took me forever to get out. I tried the lubricant but on my car there are two differant plunger type of rivits. There is the standard described in this thread which was relatively easy to get off but there is another type that has an off set plunger. You can tell the differance by the indentation on either side of the plunger suitable to fit a small flat blade screwdriver. The first one took me a good hour to get off. Use lubricant & work each side of the plunger until you get it all the way out. I moved it in & out to try to get the lubricant to work a bit better as well as side to side. I did this to release the interior wheel shields as I could not bend mine from behind the bumper to get to the interior screw under the side marker light. Many thanks for the video & write up. Btw I don't think both horns "suddenly" went out but rather one went & I never realized it and then the other just stoped an a very inconviniet time.

Do you remember the brand and/or model number of the Pep Boys horns? Will any old horn do? I need to replace my horn(s) and would like louder ones.

[kbrandsma]

I replaced my horns with a set from Griot's Garage. LINK HERE. I followed a thread on horns not to long ago, that included a post from Loren that was very helpful. Thread Here.

Since the installation I have had several instances where the extra loud horn came in extremely handy.

Good luck and good choice!

[9LHeaven]

Chemsales said: I am going to order and intall these in the next couple of weeks. I'll be sure to get some before and after pics.

http://www.automotio...or-porsche.html

I say: I recently acquired a 996 mkII, once i discovered the pile of debris deep within the air ducts, clogging up the rads, i figured something had to be done, however i wasn't sure how to go about it...?

I then discovered the same things that Chemsales mentioned, and they seem to be available for all 996 variants. After taking delivery of my 'specially made' grill, i was immediately overwhelmed with disgust! At a price of £150.00 im sure most people would expect:

a) the edges to be finished/trimmed

B) the grill would include a centre section - ONLY IF YOU'RE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE A GT3/2 ... P.s. I know C2 has plastic blanking plate anyway.

c) There would be some guidlelines/instructions included.

Turns out neither a) B) or c) were realistic expectations!! I was on the verge of sending them back (no refund on postage btw!), when i thought i'd see what sort of a job removing the front bumper was. I found the American guys (sorry i know no names!) video on youtube first, which like many others, inspired me with confidence!! If it wasn't for everyone here i wouldn't have just accomplished such a task!

Regarding the job itself, the video and instructions FOUND HERE, gave me enough to know what had to be done, for which i am grateful. In my case there were 3 things that should be considered:

1) I found that the plungers of the rivets will slide right out, then the sleeve will come out with ease - and as many have said already, if its stiff/tight, USE LUBE!

2) The grills i inserted (although already shaped and cut) imposed on the inside of the bumper where the air ducts would slot in. I wouldnt say its a problem, but the grills and the air ducts together make an extremely tight fit. So much so that i found another person is required to push the bumper in that little bit more so that all the screws can be returned to their rightful places!! :)

3) If you have an air temp sensor (for A/C?) and are installing grills, be sure to either cut a big enough hole for the unit to go through, or completely disconnect it so all you need to do is feed the wire itself through a hole in the grill. Dependent on how much slack you have on the wire, you may benefit from tying a piece of string to the end of the wire/sensor so that it is easier to pull through!

Although the biggest help is this site and everyone who has provided the infor, i only hope that something i've said helps someone at some point! :)

[wyovino]

I just did this DIY, based on the video which is terrific. I would like to add one small piece of information that can save some frustration.

In the video, he explains how the second screw (behind the wheel well cover) can't be seen and you have to feel for it. This is true, but it's helpful to know that the bottom of the screw is visible, sticking up through the side marker opening. This will help you locate it with a minimum of trouble.

I fumbled around for some time trying to find the hidden screw, until I realized it was right there in front of me. You might want to put some lotion on the back of your hands before you do this. Mine are a bit raw today from scraping on the rigid plastic covers.

Edited March 29, 2012 by wyovino

[bornrich]

Good write up and the video was a gret help too. That beeing said the screw holding the lower part of my bumber cover were badly scraped up to the point of having the phillips indent unusable. I had to use my dremel tool to cut a slot in the head to allow removal. I found lots of crap in my rads and I was happy to get it removed but I don;t think it has affected my daily coolant temps much. A third rad may be in my future.

This site rocks!

[lkchris]

Just a note that "spacer sleeve" #7 exists on the screws at the top front of the bumper (under the cover that must be removed) as well as on the screws at the sidemarkers.  They're not quite as obvious as the two at the side markers and don't necessarily fall out like those mounted horizontally or upside down will.  First time I did this, I unknowingly just left them there and of course they fell out when it came time to actually move the bumper away from the car.  It was dumb luck that I noticed them laying on ground nearby.  So ... be sure they're removed as you remove the screws.