Z3 Fender install (5thGen specific)
OK, figured I'd post this, because I wrote it in another thread and somebody said I should put it here. Trying to get rid of this damn n00b status so here it is:
OK, got the first fender on last night. I'll give you a couple pointers as you say you have never done this before. I worked in a body shop for a few years before switching to computers, so here are some tips:
Pretty easy other than bending the front bolt mount back in place from the fender bender, then drilling the broken bolt out. That was due to an accident tha car had been in, so you shouldn't have that problem. The front bolt would have been reachable from under the fender well skirt, had it not been broken off and all bent to hell!
First thing- take the door hinge limiter pin out, pretty evident when you can't get at the bolt heads, but figure I'd say it anyway. The side skirt on the 92-95 is has two screws up in the fender well, the the rest (along the rocker panel) are clips. They are misleading, as the clips have screw heads showing. They do nothing! They are plastic and strip if like mine the side skirts have been on for the past 9 years without ever coming off!
The new fender fit great, put the fender in place without tightening the bolts. Then slide the fender as far forward as possible, close the door of the vehicle. This is to make sure the fender doesn't contact the door when closing (and scratching any paint). When the door is closed, position fender so the gap between fender and door is nice and even, and the gap is small (about 2-3mm I'm guessing) if you have to, look at the other side! LOL. With fender in place, tighten the bolts along the top of the fender and the bottom one (the others you can't get to with the door closed). Note also the curve of the fender in relation to the door. On my fenders, they were curved out about 1/4" more than the doors. Flex the fender in so the curve matches the door before tightening the bottom bolt. Everything should line up nice and pretty. Open door, tighten the rest of the bolts. Then put the hinge pin and the fender well skirt back on. Carefull when closing the hood- make sure there is no contact with the fender. They fit perfect on mine, as there is the channel along the top of the fender for it to sit in, but you do want to take care!
Total install time, including bashing the front bolt mount back into place- about 20 minutes. Total number of broken clips that I should get from Honda but probably will never bother with: 2
OK, figured I'd post this, because I wrote it in another thread and somebody said I should put it here. Trying to get rid of this damn n00b status so here it is:
OK, got the first fender on last night. I'll give you a couple pointers as you say you have never done this before. I worked in a body shop for a few years before switching to computers, so here are some tips:
Pretty easy other than bending the front bolt mount back in place from the fender bender, then drilling the broken bolt out. That was due to an accident tha car had been in, so you shouldn't have that problem. The front bolt would have been reachable from under the fender well skirt, had it not been broken off and all bent to hell!
First thing- take the door hinge limiter pin out, pretty evident when you can't get at the bolt heads, but figure I'd say it anyway. The side skirt on the 92-95 is has two screws up in the fender well, the the rest (along the rocker panel) are clips. They are misleading, as the clips have screw heads showing. They do nothing! They are plastic and strip if like mine the side skirts have been on for the past 9 years without ever coming off!
The new fender fit great, put the fender in place without tightening the bolts. Then slide the fender as far forward as possible, close the door of the vehicle. This is to make sure the fender doesn't contact the door when closing (and scratching any paint). When the door is closed, position fender so the gap between fender and door is nice and even, and the gap is small (about 2-3mm I'm guessing) if you have to, look at the other side! LOL. With fender in place, tighten the bolts along the top of the fender and the bottom one (the others you can't get to with the door closed). Note also the curve of the fender in relation to the door. On my fenders, they were curved out about 1/4" more than the doors. Flex the fender in so the curve matches the door before tightening the bottom bolt. Everything should line up nice and pretty. Open door, tighten the rest of the bolts. Then put the hinge pin and the fender well skirt back on. Carefull when closing the hood- make sure there is no contact with the fender. They fit perfect on mine, as there is the channel along the top of the fender for it to sit in, but you do want to take care!
Total install time, including bashing the front bolt mount back into place- about 20 minutes. Total number of broken clips that I should get from Honda but probably will never bother with: 2
