I have seen a lot of related threads dealing with removal of radiator, some of which have entailed removing the front air dam. I want to remove the front air dam, to clean the area properly, but want to know if it is only attached to the front wings by means of the dozen or so 8mm bolts, or is there also some glue / epoxy / sealant between the air dam and the front wings. I already have the grill, louvres over the wheel arches, and bumper off, but some of these 8mm bolts look like a PITA to remove, very inaccessible. Any ideas? Especially the one second closest to the wheel.
Dave, I just helped a friend remove this on his QV and it is a PITA. Two people make it easier,one working from the top and one from the bottom, The bolts we found the hardest to remove were the forward most ones on either side. We didn't run into any other fasteners such as glue or epoxy.
Remove the metal plates in front of the front wheels, that lets you get at the bottom side of most of the bolts. Do a search for 'remove front spoiler', there is a pretty complete description in the archives. Might be in the old Fchat archives as it's been a while since I read it.
Agree with Verell, when you remove the front tires there is a part of the tire well towards the front of the car that you remove. This makes access a breeze
If the spoiler has never been off the car before, you may find a couple of bolts hidden under some sort of anti-rust goop. After removing all of the bolts, the spoiler may still be stuck on. I ran a thin spatula between the spoiler and fenders of mine to unstick it. It's really not a very difficult job. Good luck.
you guys are panty waists. i yanked the front valances off both my GTB and my GTS with the tires on the car and the car on the ground. i even drilled out the little pop rivets that held the aft side of the spoiler off. ( i did jack the car up some to do that part) . remove the grill, turn the wheels one way and then the other to get to the small bolts, and work from the outsides in towards the center. that way you can support the one side with your feet or knees as you let the valance on the ground. the GT4 was a bit tighter to work on in the front end. i managed to figure out how to get the cooling fans in and out on the GT4 /GTB/ GTS without dropping the valance. you guys should try working on flight controls under the floors and inside fuel tanks!!!! that sucks!!! Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Okay, He-man, you're a special one..... Anyway, for the rest of us mortals, you must remove the metal 'panels' that are located in the front portion of each front wheel well. Also, remove the vent grates above each wheel quarter panel. (4 screws each). That should allow you access for the valance bolts - two per side in each wheel well, five per side inside the quarter panel. I believe the bolts are 8mm with nylon aircraft nuts underneath, flat washers top and bottom. Also, there are two shelf/wings on the front of the car that the valance sits on top of. There are two rivets per shelf that must be drilled out, as well as rivets/screws on the underside of the valence, back by the battery tray (these are usually scraped flat/rusted, and they go into a frame member so have fun with these). Depending on the amount of rust/corrosion, the valance should slide out from the front of the car like a chest drawer. Its a tight fit, so pounding here and there with the palm of your hands may/will be necessary. Oh, and don't forget to remove the driving light bulb assembly before you remove the valance.
Well, after 4 days and about 10 hours, it's off. And I think I'm one of the lucky ones as my car is corrosion-free, having been in a dry climate / always garaged for 21 years. I am not a mechanic so this is turning into the biggest and most rewarding job i've done yet. The 8mm bolts were a b**ch especially the ones under the anti-rust goop in the wheel well. Three of the screws on the underside of the tray (near the battery) were impossible, with not enough of a groove left. But I sprayed them with Q20, left them overnight and then managed to get them loose somehow, with a vice grip. Then I thought it would be plain sailing, but still had to cut through the sealant between the spoiler and front wings. Then it started to slide off forwards with some pounding, only to stick on the underside of the light assembly. Eventually I pull it off sideways. Now that it's off I am very glad that I persevered. The entire tray was full of crap. Tar, dirt, gravel, bits of rubber, leaves, fossilized foam as well as : 2 x 8mm spanners, (one of which I dropped under the radiator on Sunday), the other one looks like its been there since Maranello. A block of wood 12in x 1in x 1/4in About a dozen assorted washers, screws, nuts and bolts, including the 2 missing black self tapping ones from my headlight louvres that have been replaced with different ones at some point. A pencil. Now the real cleaning / repainting etc can start. I have also removed driving lights, horns, heating fans, hot air trunking, cooling fans, and will still remove headlight assemblies. They will all be cleaned up, and polished / sprayed where necessary. Could never have done the job properly without removing the spoiler. I will try and post some pics this weekend but am without camera at the moment. Dave.
