Front bumper removal question

[WhyOne?]

Many thanks for the information, tips and advice Duncan, greatly appreciated.

Condensers and pipework are being replaced - seems silly not to replace the whole lot as it's such a mission to get in there! Only one of the condensers is leaking, but both being replaced.

As a matter of interest, how difficult was it to get the bumper aligned once you re-fitted?

[NSXGB]

Hi Ian...is this a mobile guy you are using that you'd would recommend?

[duncan]

To realign the bumper.
As the bumper cover is separate from the crash frame and is flexible, I didn’t get a lot of joy trying to wiggle the complete unit about before clamping up with the 6 main fixings, obviously it needs to be the fist pass but it’s difficult to lift accurately as the cover flexes. I found the two nuts in the far front of the wheel well made more difference as they pull the front into the wings. It might be worth trying to mark around these nuts before the front end is dis-assembled to give register marks to aim at. In the end I backed off the 2 pairs of vertical bolts to the front of the top radiator tank and shimmed out the cover using a couple of stock washers. By doing so I got a good line between the bumper and bonnet.
Last year I replaced both condensers, one went OK, the other I messed up completely as (unbeknown to me) the sleeve nuts had previously been damaged and in fitting them wrecked both of the LH condenser’s threads. I tried a work round by having replacement AN hydraulic fittings welded onto the condenser, followed by JB Weld to try to recover a leak in the welding.
Almost worked but not quite, this year I had the joy of repeating the process. . . (For sale, shortly, a year old LH condenser, almost OEM!)
The sleeve nuts are like brake line nuts, either they go on and can be run up finger tight or any resistance and they’re not on straight so try and try again. I used PAG oil as a lubricant on the thread to compliment the oil on the rubber seals. The sleeve nuts on the cross pipes are bit like Citroen brake pipes with a belling in the line that the nut tightens against, any over torquing will crush the section. The works manual page 22-65 gives a torque of AN6 fittings 14Nm, AN8 fittings 23Nm.
If it’s more convenient for you, the bumper and inner arch liners can all be replaced before pressure testing and re-gassing as all of the condenser and drier nuts are accessible in situ.