I am removing the GT ground effects on the drivers side. I have removed the 3 cover plates and the 3 rivets under the door. I have removed the two end screws, and the 7 plastic rivets. The ground effects will come loose from the front and swings clear. They seem to be attached to the ground effects above them on the rear fender some how. Any one have tips or tricks to remove this plastic piece, it has to be something simple Im missing and I really feel a Homer Simpson moment coming.
There are three tabs that lock the upper and lower together. There was one tab locking the lower to the upper on the front fender (if I remember correctly).
Is there a tool that separates the tabs or do I need to push in a particular direction, this doesnt seem to want to come apart and I dont want to break them.
A butter knife can be of a big help. Still takes a bit of maneuvering to get the tabs to release, but I found that a butter knife is thin enough and makes the job much easier.
You will need a special pop rivet gun to install the 3 rivets that go underneath the 3 cover plates. It needs a larger diameter than what you usually get at parts stores, and it will need a long thin nose. I have used well nuts with good success. You can often get them at Ace Hardware stores. Brand name is Au-Ve-Co. Just push them in, tighten the screw and it's done.
The nylon rivets shown on the above page can be used underneath. You'll also need a special pop rivet gun for those. Fastenal sells it, as does The Fiero Store. http://fierostore.com/Produ...0&d=263&p=3&lp=50930
You will need more nylon rivets than are supplied because they tend to break before they're fully tightened. I've also found that putting a stainless steel washer on the back side will keep them from pulling through the body flange.
as I remember, those 3 Plastic Posts have a Flat round sheetmetal retainer pressed on. the only way I've seen to get them off is: with inner fender loose or off, so you can get in there, use a "PICK" with a hooked end to get it in between the slots in the metal Tab and bend the tabs Outward to let go of the plastic Post. anything else, you may end up breaking iff attachment points. Hope that helps
A small flat blade screwdriver inserted into the slot and twisted will spring one of the fingers, then you can rotate the retainer to get into the next slot and do the same until enough of the fingers are sprung that it comes off. The hardest one is nearest the door.
Awesome! Thanks for the replies and the link to FS. I've been Fiero-less for close to 10 years now, so it's coming back to me. I remember replacing rivets at one point.
I do have a thought (oh boy!) If I'm replacing the quarter panel as well as the GT ground effects from another car, should I just leave it be and take the effects and panel off as one piece and save me a headache?
I think you'll need to remove the rocker panel in order to remove some rivets underneath. Beyond that, you can leave the upper aero trim pieces on the front fender and the rear quarter.
