Bumper removal.

Post Sat Jan 15, 2005 10:57 pm

Guys,

How hard is it to remove the front and rear bumpers (Mtech2 kit).

I'm pretty sure the rear bumper is just the two big Torx bolts underneath, a couple of small self tappers underneath, and the whole thing just slides off backwards.

How about the front. Is that just as easy, or do you need to split the lower valence from the bumper ?

Ian.

Post Sat Jan 15, 2005 11:04 pm

Blimey this is a first!!!

Firstly the rear bumper, as you say it's just the large 2 torx bolts. Make sure you smother them with WD40 or similar first. When I tried to remove mine, the head snapped off one of them so I've still not managed to get the rear bumper off!

The front bumper is the same but forst you have to take off the apron. Remove the fogs and unclip along the top of the apron , the sides are held on by little plastic plugs. I'd recommend buying new bolts for refitting the bumpers.

Post Sat Jan 15, 2005 11:05 pm

There's a series of push clips behind the front valence too.

And yes that is a first...Ian asking a question!!

Post Sat Jan 15, 2005 11:08 pm

you are right in how the rear comes off. tho i find it easier to undo the four 13mm nuts that hold the bumper shock mounts on. 3 are in the boot. 1 is underneath above the backbox (fun). the cages on the bumper for the torx bolts nuts snap and be well annoying
the front is by the 2 allen/torx bolts. from memory i think u have to remove the front spoiler first. 2 10mms in the side behind the w arch liner. be careful tho as these have been known to break out of the spoiler. the rest is clips. i'll pop outside to check fo defo if it has to come off. brb

Post Sat Jan 15, 2005 11:14 pm

i'm pretty sure u don't have to take the fogs out adam. i never have.
the front apron defo has to come off to allow the bumper bolts to clear. just been outside with a torch!. 2 bolts and those black clips with the push through centres hold it on. the top is just clips. pull to release.

Post Sat Jan 15, 2005 11:28 pm

Cheers guys. You

I'll see if I can get the bumpers and the rest of the kit off tomorrow. No point paying good money for the bodyshop to remove it all.

I have allready got virtually every clip, screw and fastner for the bumpers and bodykit, so no probs there. The ETK is a wonderful thing

Cheers,

Ian.

Post Sat Jan 15, 2005 11:35 pm

Re: the front valance.

I bought one from BMW recently, it cam with loads and loads of screws and clips.

The front valance is held on by the clips (which you can see) which sit in the bottom of the bumper. The bolts round the side are a pain, you need to be careful, as mentioned above, the plastic on the valance can snap. There are three (I think) brackets underneath the valance which are bolted on. There are also lots of expanding rivets underneath. I think that's it. The fogs don't need to come out on mine.

This is all dependant on whether the Touring set-up is the same as the 2 door.

It sounds like the valance is more difficult to remove than the bumper.

Post Sat Jan 15, 2005 11:38 pm

incedently ian. whilst you're about. i get my m50 next week

what engine mounts did u use? e30 e36 e34 or something else. dean at grants used e30 ones with a 8 mm spacer on the o/s in his 2.8 conversion. looked a bit dodgy to me. fitted tho. and was the wiring too much fun. zionsville do a cd rom with the wiring diagram. is it worth getting. all the main wirings all to the ecu. the rest should only be ancillaries (shouldn't it?)

Post Sat Jan 15, 2005 11:52 pm

reardiffraver wrote:incedently ian. whilst you're about. i get my m50 next week
what engine mounts did u use? e30 e36 e34 or something else. dean at grants used e30 ones with a 8 mm spacer on the o/s in his 2.8 conversion. looked a bit dodgy to me. fitted tho. and was the wiring too much fun. zionsville do a cd rom with the wiring diagram. is it worth getting. all the main wirings all to the ecu. the rest should only be ancillaries (shouldn't it?)

I used E28 M5 mounts on mine, and no spacers.

BMW part numbers:

11 81 1 128 932 - Left
11 81 2 225 201 - Right

I found the wiring easy, but it helps being an electronics Engineer. I have never seen the Zionsville CD, but by all accounts, its a waste of money.

I'm sure I can help with any wiring questions you have. What model/year E30 are you using, and what model/year did the M50 come from ?

Ian.

Post Sat Jan 15, 2005 11:59 pm

aha. i think e28 was the only one i missed from my list and that makes perfect sense. my car is an 88 325se (sig pic) and the lump is coming from a 92 e34 525se. i though that would be the best age as after 94 they have the coded key issue. you would of dealt with this on yours. fair shout as that is supposed to be a mission. but it should be loads easier on this. both cars are complete and running atm. actually getting the lump in is no probs. wiring and servo clearance are my only issues. i like a challenge

Post Sun Jan 16, 2005 12:01 am

ian correct me if i'm wrong but doesnt the e28 m5 mounts raise the engine a bit as they are quite big? or did u have to do that anyway with ure engine?

and yes ian is the dadd when it comes to wiring!!, hes sorted my wiring out for my m5 project!

cheers
Karan

Post Sun Jan 16, 2005 12:14 am

Hi Karan,

I think the E28 M5 mounts are a bit taller than regular E30 ones, but they are what most M50 conversions use (certianly in the US). They are actually used on the 6 series as well, so you sometimes see 6 series mounts referenced.

If my mounts were much shorter, I think the sump would be a bit up close and personal with the steering rack

Ian.

Post Sun Jan 16, 2005 1:12 am

i'll pm you ian when i start having wiring issues. if thats cool with you

.
nice one for the mount advice. that will save a load of hassle

Post Sun Jan 16, 2005 1:16 am

Yeah, just send me a PM, and we'll sort it out.

Ian.

Post Sun Jan 16, 2005 1:21 am

cool n the gang

!

Post Thu Jan 20, 2005 11:21 am

Just to follow up on this one.

There was no way in hell that the torx bolts were going to come undone. I eventually had to remove the bumper shocks as described above. This was all well and good, but I still had the bumper shock well and truley stuck to the back of the bumper.

I eventually decided to completely strip the bumper down to get the shocks and their mounting brackets off the bumper. Once this was done, I took them to my friendly garage and had a go with a windy gun. Not a chance..... these bad boys were not going anywhere. We eventually got them out with the aid of an oxy torch, windy gun and hammer

The problem is not that the threads get rusted, but the shaft of the bolt gets rusted solid into the tube on the end of the bumper shock.

Everything is now nice and free again. I just need to get the bumper back from the bodyshop and fit the carrier back into the M-Tech bumper/lower valance assy.

Ian.