Start:
| This 2003 Dodge Stratus had a dent on the right front fender. You can see the damage between the tire and the door, towards the top of the wheel well. |
 |
|
 |
We removed the right headlamp assembly by removing a
5-inch long bolt.
This bolt required a 7mm socket. |
|
| This is the big long 5-inch bolt that held the headlamp assembly in place. |
 |
|
 |
We removed the electrical connection from the headlight bulb.
|
|
| Then we unplugged the turn signal connector. |
 |
|
 |
We removed a clip that held the plastic bumper cover to the fender. This was hidden behind the headlight assembly.
This was a 2-part "push clip"
that has a center pin that spreads out
two "legs". We used a notched pry bar
to back out the head of the center pin. Then the
entire fastener could be pulled out.
If a notched pry bar is not
available then a tack puller can also be
used.
|
|
We removed the bolts that secured the wheel shield to the bumper cover.
This required a 7mm socket. |
 |
|
 |
Then we removed a line-up bolt that attached the bumper cover to the fender.
This required a 10mm socket. |
|
We removed a bolt that held the fender brace to the fender apron, (which is the inner fender support).
Also a 10mm socket. |
 |
|
 |
Then we removed 3 bolts from the top of the fender,
using a ratchet and a 10mm socket.
After removing those 3 bolts, we leaned the top
of the fender away from the car. This gave us
easier access to the remaining fasteners.
|
|
We removed the splash guard, which is kinda like a built-in mud-flap. This required a 7mm socket.
AFTER the splash guard was removed, there was a bolt under the plastic that held the fender to the car body. This required a 10mm socket. |
 |
|
 |
With the fender leaned outward,
we pushed the wheel shield out of the way, and removed a bolt that connected the fender cross-brace to the
hinge pillar (part of the car body).
This required a 13mm socket. |
|
At this point we were able to remove the fender from the car.
A view of the back side of the old fender.
The red arrows point to the locations of mounting clips that must be removed to be re-used. |
 |
|
 |
The car with no fender. |
|
| On some
vehicles the front door hinges can be easily
unbolted once the fenders have been taken off.
You can see the hinges right next to the edge of
the door. |
 |
|
 |
The new
fender after installation.
The fender was painted
before installation, which eliminated the need for masking
off various parts of the car. |
|
More Info:
|
|
Tools Used:
- Prybar
- Sockets: 7mm, 10mm,
13mm
- Ratchet
|
Materials Used:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
