supaman111

I am looking to change the front slam panel/radiator support as the previous owner had a crash and did not repair it propery and nothing lines up nicely.

does anyone know of any guides on how to change a from slam panel or radiator support, it is bascially the from face of the chassis behind the bumber.

sam

litterbox

tthomass has and he did a BADASS job. This was on his 99SI. I couldn't believe the way it turned out. Pm him, I've sent him this thread.

supaman111

nice one man

litterbox

Where are you located? We could help you out.

supaman111

in the UK wolverhampton, are you in US?

litterbox

lol, ya i'm in the us.

tthomass

pics would really help!!!

to replace core/radiator support, remove:
hood
bumper cover
bumper
headlights
fenders

at this point you will have and engine and wheels in front of your car and no body parts (but make sure you unbolt the actual steel bumper as the support is between it and the frame)

now, if the suport was WELDED back in place like from the factory it will jsut have SPOT WELDS (they'll look like 1/4" circles)...........take a 1/4" (sorry you'll have to convert if you're all metric).......but a drill bit the size of the circle and just drill right through it........then take a HARDENED (not flexable) puddy knife and hammer between the two pieces of metal to "pop" them apart

do this to all of them and you can take the support off, since you're replacing it don't worry about bending and cutting on it if you need too

now put the new one in place and use SHEET METAL SCREWS to hold it........you should be able to see where the original support was from outlines in the paint............then put you bumper, fenders, hood...............EVERYTHING back on and see how it lines up

if the bumper doesn't sit out far enough causing the headlights to look like they are sticking out (as mine did)...........you have to remove everything again and reposition the support

NOW the core/radiator support is NOT a structural part taht is important to the strength of your car such as in an impact.......if it was it wouldn't be 1/16" thick and be able to have a 5yr old bend it all up, also, it is only SPOT WELDED!! therefore, don't waste money having it welded (if you wanted it welded then you would have you car in a shop in the first place vs do'n this yourself).........the steel bumper once back in place and bolted down holds it VERY tight.......put some bolts in it if you like or more sheet metal screws and you're good to go.....so yeah, i'm NOT welded, just bolted.

hope this helps!

tthomass

when you remove the support you also have to take off the horn, all ac and radiator parts etc attached to it...........do yourself a favor

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!TAKE PICTURES BEFORE YOU DO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the only prob you really will have is running you hood latch cable as you have to remove it and the latch................it took me a while to figure it out (prob still isn't correct but it works)...........otherwise you'll have a hard time getting your hood to open if there is too much slack in the cable and hte hood latch you'll have to play with to get your hood to close properly

take a look at my avatar, that was my car after the accident, now its back together.............its easy to do, i had NEVER done body work like this but just after really looking at it decided it couldn't be hard, and its not............enjoy!

supaman111

nice one man, will get started on it. Have you got a pic of the part that you replaced and pic of the car before and after please. I would be replacing the complete front panel and i think this is what you have done?

cheers sam

supaman111

also, do i need to support the engine? I though taking the complete front panel off may make the sqaure structure around the engine weak??

cheers sam

tthomass

i don't think i have any pics..............then engine is not messed with so no support needed..........everything is still square as you are not messing with the frame, you're just taking of cosmetic parts that have no structural purpose (fenders for example don't hold your car together, the subframe under the does.......................yes the part i replaced was the one that th headlights, bumper cover, grille, radiator and AC condensor attached too

supaman111

ok i understand, i always thought it was structural, after a second look at the underside of the car i can see that it is not a structural part.

Cheers for all your help. i will keep you posted.

tthomass

no prob, hope it works out for you

13BT

how many bolts hold up the support? i already have everything off the support. i just noticed one bolt on each side that could possibly be holding it up.

tthomass

the support (if its the original) is WELDED........1/4" circles = spot welds and i'd guess 8 down each side..........take a 1/4" drill bit and drill them out then take a HARDENED putty knife (these aren't flexible, $5ish @ Lowes/HomeD) and hammer it between the metal to pop it loose.........

i only have a sheet metal screw at the top on both sides and maybe 2 down each side.................when you put hte bumper back on and torque down the bolts for hte bumper the support is in there so tight its not go'n anywhere

6shootahorsenamedtrigga

usually if the support is damaged it will do slight damage to the side structure wont it? i mean the side part that the support is welded on to..what do you do there? do have some one bend it before you remove the support? im in this position currently because the support wasnt hit in the center ..but im down with this diy method!! i just need an idea to help pull the side peice so the new support will be flush....also what material drill bit do you recommend..i had to drill my bumper beam for intercooler brackets and it just ate up the drill bits i had

tthomass

hey man, if you've got any pics it would help but yeah my impact was in the center. The only damage to the sides was the first bolt of the fender right behind the headlight........that piece was bent down and its thin stuff so i just twisted it back with pliers.

idea for you:

say the damage is on the right, connect the support on the left and pull in the right until it comes over to the support properly...........so in other words pull the damage to the new support vs pulling the new support to the damage and it should be fine

again though, pics would help, it the damage is really bad you may need a shop to do it if welding and cutting etc is really needed.

if you need parts go to http://www.partschannel.com They are the best place you can get parts.........they're like a supplier to autobody shops but sell to the public at what seems to be the same price. I got (2) fenders, (1) hood, (1) support, and (1) radiator (Koyo) from them, all OEM and PERFECT fit for:

$255!!!!!!!!

sounds like you may need a headlight or pair, thats like $100 NEW....all stuff is NEW and awsome prices and customer service, HIGHLY recommended!

6shootahorsenamedtrigga

okay thanks for the idea, im gonna pull it the way we did my friend's car..say hello to tree and chain. but his was hit in center as well...actually the only thing i need is a radiator support and a fuking tranny!!! i hit a curb in a confusing turn lane setup..its ghey i know but basically its the lower side of the support and of course since i was lowered the tranny has missing peices of the case but since the support was hit more on the side,,the actual side brace got pushed in some but not that bad

gmbdelsol

Hello,

I am thinking of replacing the front radiator support as well. I have found some front radiator supports online, but they seem to have been cut from the chassis.
With regard


s to the spot welds, are you referring to the ones marked with the white arrows in the attached pictures?

Thanks a lot