If you grind or cut the heads off the bolts you will not need to drill out or heat anything up, as the bits will just drop out as there is nothing to hold them in place if the clips have snapped.

Cheers
Col

Eh up Col

Sadly the other side of the guard ( rear side facing exhaust end) has only the threads of the old bolts showing as someone already grind these off

It’s just flapping around loose 🤬

The joys !

I thought you were looking for a replacement guard as the rearmost captive nuts a welded to that.

Cheers
Col

Eh upall

Well I made some progress

Front bolts ground off spring clips mullered

I thought job done and tried to pull guard out - no way is it moving WT*

Pictures to assist






The rear bolts were already ground off and you can just see the stubs left, these will go into the captive nut. I thought the bolt just went through the hole in the larger sump guard, into the small one then effectively clamped the two together as it gets tightened into the captured nut - am I making sense ?🤔

What the hell is it clamped to, i can move it down 25mm ish but it’s definitely held in still ( see pics)

How the chuff do I tackle this without destroying the guard as I think my only option now is cut the guard out to access the captive nut and try and grind it off, if I an even get a grinder in🤬

How are they normally held in - is the reminder of the boot through another metal tang like the front ones you can see ??

Keep the advice coming please this should be a simple job it it’s driving me nuts 🤨😟

That is really odd someone must have really bodged it in there somehow, on mine I take the two 6mm headed screws out the of the front plate under the rad area, the two 13 or 14 mm (can't remember which it is) headed ones from the rear of the small guard and it just drops out.

You may need a second pair of hands and a trolley jack, but could you not remove the rear guard with the front one still attached to it, if the heads have been completely ground off the rear two bolts as they only go through a slotted lug on the cross member, and wriggle it out from under the vehicle and should be able to see the problem why it won't separate.

Workshop manual instruction how to remove.



The picture below shows the two 10mm captive nuts welded on to the back of the small plate.

Click image to enlarge

Eh up Col

Thanks for the note, and photos , I’ve no bl88dy idea either what’s been done 👍

so, I can drop the large plate on my own with a T Jack to support. Done that when I serviced car and that’s when I noted the issue with the small guard.

However the large guard is not attached to the small one, the bolts you refer to and can see in the picture where the stubs are, have been ground off.

So not sure if you can advise or not but if I drop the large guard again, can I then see /feel / get access to the small guard at the rear?

I have no idea what the hell is now holding this small plate on🤬

Idiot drawing below


If I can see what it’s held through by I’ve half a chance.

Only other option is to try and drill through the remaining bolt thread as if I were trying to tap and die🤨

Just cannot see at all

PS order front clips and stainless bolts

Thanks again all - it’s mind blowing that it’s such a simple job 🤨

Hi,

Really as puzzled as you are, not sure if you drop the rear guard you will be able to see much more, but no harm dropping it I guess, if you have the the front two 6mm bolts out it really should just drop out and can't think of anything much up there for it to catch on except some pipe work. I don't suppose you have a borescope camera by any chance which you could feed in there to see whats going on.

Just remember this picture I took of mine with the small front guard removed, you can make out the two front spring clips in the top left and right corners, and where the rear bolts go through the rear plate at the bottom, mine is the 5.0L s/c engine but can't think it will be much different with the pipes etc. that are there.





Cheers
Col

Dunno either

I would loosen the front large guard bolts, but not completely remove to give you wiggle room.
See if that helps get small one out. Otherwise completely remove it.

In either case, watch the small on does fall on your head

H up Andy K



Can see that happening for sure !

I will take photos- it’s really pi88ing me off so thanks to all for keeping me sane - I was beginning to think it was time to hang up my spanner!

Eh up all

To those who have been following this technically challenging thread I thank you for all the assistance offered

I rembered I had one of these - thanks Col


I’ve figured out this guard had been jammed up into two metal lugs on the cross member, as otherwise would have been flapping about underneath 🤬




So with my bump cap on - thanks Andy K - ragged the Arse of it till it came out

Now heat and large mole grips stripped out the studs that had been left - eventually




Can I please check that once I’ve finished this off, ie repainted and Dinitol it fits as follows:-

Bolt through lip on large sump guard, this then sits up against the metal tang below, then on top of this tang sits the small sump guard this effectively is clamped down using the bolt - make sense

I’m questioning because it just doesn’t look correct.





Thanks all for the help on this seemingly simple job - what a PIA

Now to get ready for painting base coat on the bumper

"Can I please check that once I’ve finished this off, ie repainted and Dinitol it fits as follows:-

Bolt through lip on large sump guard, this then sits up against the metal tang below, then on top of this tang sits the small sump guard this effectively is clamped down using the bolt - make sense Rolling Eyes

I’m questioning because it just doesn’t look correct."

May not look right but that is how it fits, or at least mine does.

Cheers
Col

Eh up Col

Cracking

Well stainless bolts all round I ain’t pi88ing doing this again

Never had a problem with the bolts, just used a bit of copperslip when refitting, however saying that we do have the advantage that they don't salt the roads here in winter so corrosion not a major problem.

Just wondered if some dickhead had jacked on the guard at sometime and jammed it under those lugs.

Cheers
Col

Eh up

Well it’s sorted and it’s right now

If I’d have left it you can guarantee it would need removal on a freezing February when it’s pi88ing down and your on your back in the dark trying to work stuff out with rain running up your arms and down your back

Same dickhead who could not be arsed to fit it back properly- took me 20 mins with heat and patience to sort the studs out and get it right, but if your a garage charging £50 an hour.......times money I guess

Cheers

Yeah, had enough of that crap in year's gone bye, but were posh now double garage, heated with carpet on the floor.

Cheers
Col