Things You'll Need:
- Screwdriver Ratchet Sockets Pliers Assistant
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Step 1
Park the car or truck in a well-lit work area. Raise the hood of the car and examine the plastic protective coverings over the radiator. To access the front bumper, remove the top protective plastic shield that covers the bumper's clips and screws in the front of the vehicle. Retain the screws and plastic shield for reinstallation when the bumper is removed.
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Step 2
Work from the center of the bumper and work your way out to the two end fasteners. Look for screws and body clips that are securing the bumper in place. Loosen and remove the screws with a screwdriver or socket, all around the bumper, from top middle to bottom middle. There should be approximately 12 screws and four clips holding the bumper in place. Older-model cars and trucks may have four bolts that fasten the bumper to the frame of the vehicle. Removing these screws and bolts will allow the bumper to be removed when finished. When a bumper is fastened from under a wheel well but the screw is covered, remove the overlapping wheel well cover, then remove the screw.
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Step 3
Release the bumper body panels from the rest of the body panels of the front fender and around the headlamps. Most body parts fit together and/or overlap to position the pieces together. Gently pull all the bumper's panel edges from under and behind other body parts. Now the only thing holding the bumper in place is the factory body clips.
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Step 4
Have an assistant hold one side of the bumper while you manipulate the other. The clips are held together with gravity or by clipping from the side. Clips that are together with gravity can be pulled up for separation. The clip(s) that have the tabs pushed in from the side will have to be removed by pulling the bumper away from the clip. In order to open side-type clips, it will be necessary to separate all the gravity-locked clips first. Unclip all turn signal wiring that may be included in the bumper package. Reinstall wiring on replacement bumper to maintain all safety equipment that is required for vehicle registration.
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Step 5
Pull the bumper away from the car after all the screws and clips have been released. If you find that one section of the bumper does not want to come apart, it usually means that two body panels are still locked together or you have missed one of the screws that secure the bumper to the car. Recheck and correct this problem by unclasping a body clip or removing the last pesky screw to get to the end of this project.
