RENAULT ALPINE GTA

Front Bumper Removal

by Nic Lyons

1. Remove the 6 Torx screws holding the flat 'undertray' section of the bumper to the front subframe. Some or all of these may be stuck fast through corrosion - if so give them a sharp upward tap with a (steel) hammer and try again. Failing that you can try gripping them with a mole wrench and / or apply Plus-Gas or similar. If the worst comes to the worst you will shear the heads off the bolts - if so just drill them out later.

2. Loosen the clamp plates securing the upper trailing ends of the bumper to the underside of the front tub. Once loose, you will find that you are able to pull the side of the bumper out a couple of inches.

3. Unbolt the braces at their intersections with the corners of the bumper inner moulding. Spray dismantling lubricant of these nuts before attempting to remove them - the end of the 'bolt' (actually just a rectangle of steel) is held firm on the other side by a dollop of resin. If it breaks free and starts turning you will struggle to remove the nut and will have to remove the brace itself. This is only held in place with a nut and a bolt so it's no great shakes.

4. Remove the Torx screws securing the bumper 'tie rods' - these attach the lower trailing ends of the bumper to the inside ends of the braces. The screws screw into clips which are prone to seizing; if you can't grip the clip you may need to cut the screw off. I've found my Dremel Moto-tool with cutting disc very useful for this kind of thing.

5. Remove the 2 main fixing nuts - these are the nuts which clamp the bumper (at the large black plastic blocks) to its mountings - 2 fairly substantial vertical metal plates. At the same points, unbolt the vertical 'ties' which hold the lower front edge of the bumper. If you don't actually detach these ties from the bumper make sure they're not in the way when you remove the bumper.

6. Note that you will not at this stage need to remove the (vertical) screws securing the bumper inner glass-fibre moulding to the bumper.

7. Pull the bumper away from the front of the car. If either securing bolt has come free from its corner you will need to undo the screws securing the inner moulding in order to gain access.