Removing the front clam

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 10:08 pm

Merry Christmas all!

Santa has very kindly brought me a set of driving lights for christmas, but the corrosion fairy has eaten all of the front undertray bolts and they have all sheared off....

I am therefore in the process of removing the front clam to get access.

AS I am at my parents with 56k dial up can someone let me know if there are any pitfalls to look out for? I have found 2 allen bolts near each door hinge, 2 each side of the undertray and 2 in the gutter round the bonnet. Are there any more? I have also found a big electrical connector on the rhs is this the only one?

I'm hoping that my car has the wiring as I havent found it yet. I've also found that my car does not have the rivnuts fitted in the crash structure for the light brackets....

Ta
Rich

craigs135s · Post by **craigs135s** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 10:17 pm

Rich i didnt take anything off apart fron the front grill when i changed mine. you shouldnt have to take the clam off.

Cheers
C

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Mon Dec 25, 2006 10:26 pm

Its the combination of rusted (now headless) front tray bolts, no riv-nuts, and no connectors that has lead to this... It started badly when I had to remove the front grill with some snips and a hacksaw...

It's a 97 S1 btw. The front bolts on the tray snapped off cleanly, so no probs (Yet!) but the rear bolts/screws snapped off leaving a stub which is preventing the tray from being remnoved. This is because I need to get to the back of the crash structure to get a nut on the bolts that will hold the brackets in place. Also I can't find any connectors behind the blanks in the crash structure. Does not bode well....

I'll rewire it if I have to, it's only a couple of jumpers from the main beams (I assume!) but I need to get something onto the back of these bolts!

Ta

Rich

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 7:06 pm

Clam came off eventually, but I have a spinning screw in the sill, front on the extreme left. It seems to be the riv-nut so I left it. The clam came out from under it when I wiggled the shims out and went back ok. No great hassle just the front undertray bolts. All 3 sheared leaving a little stub preventing the removal of the tray with the clam in place, once the clam was off it was easy but to refit I had to cu a bayonet style slot in the rear edge so I could slide it into place. bit odd but works a treat. will make life easier next time too!

Lights are in, the wiring was neatly tied up the wrong side of the crash structure, no way you could reach it with the clam on

I used a couple of big rawl-nuts to hold the brackets in, no problems. All works great and the car is back on the road. Just the coolant bleed to do tomorrow and I (Should!) be cooking on gas!

Rich

Stephen · Post by **Stephen** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 9:22 pm

good mam no telly for you on boxing day then

merry christmas

S,G & M

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 11:26 pm

Telly was rubbish and there is only so much of the family I can take in one go! (As in not alot!)

Merry Christmas to you all too!

mac · Post by **mac** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 9:45 am

Would it not have made more sense to bleed the radiator when the clam was off?

I've only done it twice and recall that access can be a bit fiddly. Indeed the first time we tried it by the time Simon Ironside had got his hand in there the system had boiled over!

Mac

mckeann · Post by **mckeann** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 9:48 am

its not THAT hard to do it (simon's just a big poof) but if the clam was off then it would have made sense.

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 2:38 pm

I have had no problem reaching the bleed screw. Just peel back the liner and put your arm in. I have arms like a gorrilla and even I can reach if I roll my sleaves up.

I have traced the coolant problem, in short the bleed screw was leaking. I'll put it in the PRRT thread.

Ta
Rich