nose job

[vetahlk]

Before spring rolls around and I can start driving again. I want to replace a cracked fog/turn signal/marker lens. How hard is it to remove the nose and do this on my 93? Should I tackle the job or have a body shop do it? Any advice or diagrams of the process would be helpful.

Thanks
John

 

[Ken]

John, from what I understand, the entire front bumper cover must be removed to replace the lenses for the turn signal/fog lights. I have never done it myself, and I am also not sure if the '93 of yours is the same as my '87, but my guess is that it is similar.

Someone else may be able to help you, hopefully. Good luck.

_ken

 

[bogus]

yup.

you have to remove the bumper cover, and the energy absorbing pad.

sucks, eh?

I confirmed this through my Helms manual for the 1992.

 

[cvette]

Yes the front cover needs to come off. You then need to access the screws that retain the brackets for the lenses from the inside of the engine compartment. Then they slide out the front through the crash absorbor being carfull not to hit anything that might deploy the air bags. The hardest part though is getting the front cover to line up perfectly again. Tip of the project: Buy the whole lens assembly. I know that some places sell just the outer lense but you will end up breaking the housing trying to get the SOB apart. They are glued together good!

 

[kfehling]

I am currently having the front bumper on my '96 CE repainted as someone backed into it. The shop manual for the estimate states that removal of the front bumper is a 7.5 hour job--the most expensive part of this operation. Then upon reattachment, you do have to align it properly as mentioned in a previous post. This suggests to me that this is a complicated and tough job if a pro gets that much time to do it. With that said, it sure will cost you to have a body shop do this for you. Sounds like you're between a rock and a hard place, but if you have the time, I would still try to do it yourself. Worst case, you bring the pieces to a shop and have them reattach it for you. Good luck.

 

[Redbob]

I just recently did this job on my '89, and I can tell you, it is every bit as time-consuming as that 7.5-hour "flat-rate" estimate suggests.

However, it can be done with the simplest of handtools.
I recommend removing the energy absorber (four screws) rather than trying to work from the rear.
Tip: give a small shot of spray paint to the back side of the energy absorber, after you get the bumper cover off, so you'll know exactly where to adjust it to when putting it back together.

Or not.
THe adjustment is not TERRIBLY difficult, and it sure is easy to tell if you get it wrong!
Just remember to keep the LH and RH side shimpacks separate and labelled so you don't have to go through the whole business of sorting out those shims when you put it back together.

You can certainly save a bunch of money this way!

Regards,
R

PS: If you've got a digital camera, I'd suggest taking a few photos of the underhood stuff before you take it apart.

 

[Ryan6-speed]

I just did this on my 1992 corvette and it was not that big of a deal in my opinion. You just undo all the bolts and slide the front cover off, there are alot of bolts. It took me about 4 hours start to finish and much of that time was hunting for the bolts to undo. Don't get scared by some of the replies. When I asked for tips on weatherstripping I was told it was too complex and to have the shop do it, I did it myself, it was very simple and I saved tons of cash. Remember, when it comes down to it, it's still just a car. (I can't believe I just said that my corvette was just a car! )

 

[Redbob]

Yes; I highly recommend making a chart and labeling each and every screw you remove - no two appear to be alike, and you'll play h3ll finding replacements at your local hardware store!