Those front fender/front bumper cover bolts are really ugly to get to if you go through the fender wells with all those extensions.I didn't have the option of doing it that way because of a squashed fender.The ridiculously easy way to do this is to remove the headlight motor assys.It is alot easier to do also than you think.There are 2 obvious bolts on top and 2 more underneath.The 2 lower headlight assy bolts aren't the ones you think that go straight backwards into the radiator support.The lower ones actually go into a small "L" shaped bracket that is bolted in from underneath.There are just 2 bolts that go straight upwards from underneath right below the headlight assys.You have a completely clear shot at them with nothing in the way so they are a no-brainer.Remove them and the headlight assys just lift out.With them gone you have a hole so big you can reach both arms in to get to those fender to bumper cover bolts.It also makes it a whole lot easier to do those final touch up alignments to get all the gaps just right in the fender and hood areas.Here is a quick shot I took with the headlight assys out,you can see the bracket that I am talking about here.

 

here is a better shot of that "l" bracket that the lower headlight assys mounts to.Just remove the bolts that go upwards from underneath into the L bracket and lift the whole assy out.You don't have to try and get at the lower bolts that go straight backwards into the bracket itself.Which is good since they are impossible to get at.

 

Wont work with a Camaro. I'm going to be doing that somewhat soon. Ive already done it before, it's not fun at all.

 

Those aren't as hard as you guys make it out to be. The bottom three bolts aren't bad at all, the top to can be easily gotten to with a few extensions a swivle and a 10mm deep. If you remove the wheel and inner fender liner they are even easier.

Last week i had to pull a front end off an 89 RS at a junkyard for my car and i had the last top bolt left and i lost my damn 10mm deep socket. I had to get it with a 10mm nut driver and an adjustable wrench, that wasn't fun, took about 20 minutes for one single nut lol.

 

all i did with mine is took the GFX off the bumper cover and accessed erery thing fomr under the front....those 2 top ones were easily gotten by using one wobble extension and a deep socket and on the other side i used a ratcheting open ended wrench...so which ever is jsut as easy...

 

That fender was junk anyway- you could've just hacked a section out of the fender to access the bolt. I did that at the junkyard in order to get a bumper cover off a T/A.

 

headligght motors are easy to remove yes, big time, had them off pretty quickly on the 82

the doors i dont know yet, i just rmeoved the motors is all, i have removed doors on an 85 t/a though, but its been a few years, hmm.,.,



good luck

 

i just removed fenders and bumper off front of the 82 trans am out here today everything was pretty easy the hardest part really was getting at the 10mm nuts and bolts that hold the ends of the bumper cover to the fender nose end, and the underneath shelf under front of fenders, other than that everyything else was easy, the car is down to bare front body tub cept for the hood and hinges, i rebolted them to the car tub directly, i even rmeoved the hood latch assembly shelf and center vertical brace and all, real easy, the car will store better this way leaves and water will run off it so much better until i can get new fenders and plastic parts for it, otherwise the car would rot out alot faster than it already has :/


i do have one Q though, how are the 82 83 84 parking lamp assemblies supposed to be retained to the hood latch assembly shelf ?

supposed to be just bolts, or nuts and bolts, or clip style body nuts and bolts ?? are the bolts supposed to come from above or underneath ? someone jimmy rigged the ones on the 82,

oh and why are there two shims under both bumper mounts? why didnt GM design this so that they didnt need to use the shims ?
is this just an 82 83 84 thing or do the later ones do this too ?

just curious

taking off headlight assemblies real quick is best way to get at the front corners screws and bolts,


the car is still perfectly driveable with all the front metal off, but hood wont stay down up front,. hehe

if anyone needs any 82 83 84 firebird front clip details then lemme know while this is all in my mind still.

 

Hey I know this is an old thread but I just wanted to say it worked like a charm. Thank you!

 

I removed an bumper from the junkyard today with a 10mm long socket and a few extensions... it really isn't all that hard.