Hey Guys - I'm taking all the trim off of my 67 GS 400.....getting ready for a trip to the paint shop. How in the heck do I take off the ventiports? That very cool trim piece right behind the front wheels........Do I have to take off the entire front fender just to get this piece of trim off ???? I can't see any other way......what am I missing here?
You could take the inner fender wells out. I think that is the best way but you could take the 2 lower fender bolts out and 2 or 3 of the inner fender bolts and may be able to get the bottom of the fender out far enough to get the nuts off the side trim. thaks Bill.
Bill - I'll try to loosen the outer and inner fenders enough to get my fat paws in there. Should be able to get at this, this morning.....I'll let you know how things turn out. Thanks !!
I would be interested in how you make out. i have been trying to put a set on my 67 special, had the car painted last year paint shop said they would do it but DUH they forgot. seems like you can only get to the bolts close to the wheelwell the others are to tight to the cowl.
The 66/69 lower side chrome is difficult to get off and on with the inner fender well in palce. I have been able to get the fender wells out on them. It is more difficult on the side that has the battery, and if the car has AC. Fender wells will come out the bottom with the tire off. The problem is the rusted bolts and the press in nuts strip out of the wheel house and turn and have to be cut off with a hack saw blade. I always spot weld the nuts to the wheel house and test fit the bolts. One problem is some use bolt threads and some use screw threads and the get mixed up and cross thread and the nut pulls out. Best to plan ahead and take the fender wells out before you paint. Thanks Bill.
Hey Guys - Let me spare you the mystery...... Those darn ventiports are still on the fenders -- I went to work on the passanger side fender first.....and never made it to the drive's side I started down low.....attacked those two bolts on the bottom of the fender right behind the front wheel. Well, those two guys were some-kinda-stuck. Forty years of stayin-put won out over my 1/2 inch drive ratchet. Before I started at 'em...I put the heat-wrench to 'em for about 5 minutes each. The rear most bolt started to turn...and then turned and turned without getting loose. The backing nut was spinning too. And it's so tight there between the frame and fenders that I can't get anything up there to catch that backing nut. The front bolt never broke loose. And I was too scared to push it to break. I've got such a clean match between the lower outer fender and rocker that I didn't want to ruin it by busting a bolt. So, I thought that maybe I could get to the ventiport from the top. So I removed the 2 bolts and shims by the hood support, then removed the bolt and shims at the rear, top of the fender covered by the top front part of the door, above the kick panel. In the meantime, I had removed the big screws that hold the outer fender to the inner fender from inside the wheel well. I removed six of them......three inside and three outside, rear. But, the fender wouldn't clear the door....the bolt tang at the rear top of the fender hits the door and prevents the fender from moving out past the door. So, it looks like I'll have to remove the door to get the fender pulled out far enough to get down to the 5 ventiport nuts that are covered up between the inner and outer fenders. It looks like there is one ventiport nut that I can get to from the engine bay, but the other 5 are buried between the fenders. I didn't have the time to remove the door today.......I'll try to get to it sometime during the next couple of weeks. This is becoming more of a job than I ever expected !! I'll let you know how things progress --
WOW you aint kidding i tryed loosening mine yesterday i had the same problem. With a newly painted car i dont want to f&**% with it thank god i never drilled those holes.
Took my off today to let you know It was very easy first i took the innerfender out an to 2 bolts at the bottom of the fender then unbolted the ventiports. Rick
Rick -- Lucky ........ You were able to get those two lower, rear, outer fender bolts off...... You must be livin' right, my friend !! :grin: Those two guys are what's holding me up tight now.... Like I said, the rearmost one of those is just spinning......and the forward one is about to break..... So, I'm gonna go in from the top. I'll try to get the door off in the next couple of weeks so that I can move the fender out enough at the top, to reach down and get to those pesky ventiport nuts....... Maybe my driver's side will be more forgiving. Congrats on your success..... :beer Send me some of your good luck .... :laugh: ..... I need it !!
I think you would be better off taking out the fender well as I remember it is not that easy to get them off with the door off and it is easier to get the bad bolts/nuts off the lower with the wheel well off. Thanks Bill.
the back bolt is on a little piece that will come off so you could cut it off and then use a little heat on that piece and for the front one I would just brake it then use so heat on it and it will come off. You can save so money at the body shop by getting these types of thing done cause I had messing with it.Rick
