I plan on repairing the body and painting my 93 xjs roadster this winter and want to remove the front and rear bumper. I've put it up on jacks and checked under the bumpers for removal bolts and it doesn't appear to be as straight forward as I expected. I was hoping to be able to remove the bumpers as one unit, but it almost looks like I have to remove the chrome covers and then the bumpers.
Can anyone tell me what is the correct way to remove these bumpers and can they be removed as a complete unit.
Thanks

 

Is this the chrome and rubber bumper (old style) or the big plastic bumper?

If the old style IIRC
Remove bolts (of the side extensions) from inside the sides of the boot, you will have to remove the side carpets, cd player etc.

Remove the 5 million clips holding the rear rubber to the metal bar, top and bottom. Lever the little buggers off with a screwdriver and watch where they fly off to!! BTW there are two sizes for the top and bottom IIRC.

Remove the nuts along the top lip of the rear valance from under the bumper

Very carefully with two people at either end tske the chrome bumper off as one complete piece. you will have to slightly prise outwards to avoid damaging your paint. I would put a couple of layers of masking tape there first or at least when you refit it.

Remove the rubber from the bar

Remove the two big nuts holding the bar on, you may have to hold the nuts inside the car.

Put all the nuts clips etc in a labelled bag and tie them to the bumper or you'll lose them and spend days looking for them!!!! Don't ask!!


There may be some bits I've missed but that's essentially it as I recall.


Front bumper is essentially the same except the bolts holding the side extensions are under the chrome and tend to snap off!!

PS if you can help it DONT try to take the rubber off the side extension as the nuts will be corroded and the heads will spin in the rubber or snap off.

 

Thanks for the info. It seemed like these bumpers were not easy to remove and after reading your post about how to remove them, I decided to just mask them off before I paint the car. This isn't going to be a complete restoration of the car and I'm painting it the same color, so masking the bumpers sounds like a much more logical way to go.
thanks for the information about this.

 

I just went through this same thing. I had my 88 totally repainted, red to black. My bumpers had some wear on them, as if brake fluid had etched them or something. My body shop said if I would de-chrome the car, he'd knock off 800.00. DONE!
I didn't find it that difficult to remove the bumpers and all the bolts came out fine although I did WD40 the knuts where I could and let them sit for a day before taking off.
I then wet sanded the rubber pieces to minimize the splotches and gave them about 4 coats of bumper paint and now they look AMZING! All damage gone!!
You should repaint them after the car is painted and you'll be amazed how it updates the car!!

 

It's not that difficult just few pitfalls to watch out for as any job. Have a look under the front side extensions at the state of the bolts as yours may be relatively uncorroded and soak them first with wd-40 or similar. If you have the front headlight washers, remove the tube which is pushed into the washers underneath and the electric connector. you dont have to take the washers off the bumpers.

 

You can remove both bumpers without taking the rubber off of the aluminum bar, after removing the chrome pieces & the side rubber pieces, take the bumper shock nuts off from inside the trunk & inside the engine compartment. Spray some penentrant around the shocks, then with some wiggles & taps the assembly will slide out.
I just did them myself, here is the proof!