VE SS front bumper play/movement

[timmo666]

hi all,

just got myself a new rig,
second hand 50,000kms
looks like new, black SSV 6 speed manual.
im absolutely stoked with it.
now the mrs went to park it and the front bumper made slow contact with a grassy mound at the park,
ive had a look at theres not even a scrape, however after grabbing hold of the bumper and seeing if it was secure
it seems that it hangs a little probably less than a cm, and i can flex it up to make contact with the headlights.
is this normal? or have we potentially damaged the mounts for the bumper?

thoughts and opinions appreciated,
cheers
Timmo

[bladerunner]

its normal, some sag a bit some dont, but if you can physiclly move it up and down then yes maybe it might have a buggered mount but i doubt it personally as they can take a hiding normally. maybe just needs tightening?

[Luke V8]

Yet to see a VE that doesn't have a slight sag in either the front bumper or rear bumper. Don't stress.

Is it lowered? Mine is and i had the front bar off and the rear bar, re fixed and a month later there was a slight gap again but probably due to the suspension set up when hitting pot holes.

If your that botherd just refix it or take it to a garage and ask them to do it

[timmo666]

nah she's not lowered (yet :P)

think im just paranoid about it, but just wanted to check.
ill slip under it tonight and check the mounts just to be sure.

and pretty sure its only going to be me behind the wheel from now on lol.

thanks for your input guys, appreciate it.

ill let you know what i find on the mounts, and possibly post a pic of the slight sag or a video of the movement.

cheers!

[NeishaVESS]

It is fairly normal for you to be able to grab the front bar and shift it up and down about 0.5-1cm, however there is a fix for it, the front bar is attached to your under splash tray and they form 1 piece together once tightened. The problem isnt the bar, it's the splash tray, it's only secured to the sub/k frame by 4 plastic rubbish scrivets and they are sloppy as, the hole on the k Frame from memory is 3/8 and the scrivets are only about 8mm so there is the play.. I fixed mine by getting under the car and tapping the 2 outer holes and put 2 bolts in there and my front bar doesn't move anymore and it's closed the ugly gap between the bar and the bonnet edges..

Hope it helps

[timmo666]

cheers for the tip Neisha , still at work for now. but ill definately have a look tonight and see what's going on.

will report my findings tomorrow.

thanks again,

Timmo

[BigBoss]

There should be 4 screws under the front bar and two bolts in the wheal arches on both sides as long as they don't seem to stuffed i would say you are fine.
Check this

How To Remove VE Front And Rear Bumpers

[timmo666]

Cheers for the tip BigBoss,

think im worried about nothing, but i'll just be making sure nothing has come loose.

[-vkhg]

hi guys.

timmo mine sags quite a bit and it shits me up the wall! so i know what you mean. might check out what neisha said. keep us posted anyway. would love to restore an even line between the front bar and the top grill headlights etc..

pics of your fix if you do would be great?

[NeishaVESS]

I will get under mine and show you where the bolts go, it's actually a standard thing that holden do now, scrivets aren't used from my10, rather they use 4 bolts to secure it.. 2 is plenty as you need to tap the thread

[-vkhg]

thatd be sick neisha, thanks.

[timmo666]

Well i took a look under there last night,
and it already has some of the "scrivets" replaced with bolts through the front splashguard.
and after having a fiddle around its definately secured in place at the front.
the centimetre \ half cm of movement that i can get is coming from the outer sides near the front wheel arches. (almost like a pivot of the bumper from the wheel arches) resulting in the slight sag in the front.
as nothing is damaged i may just leave it as is, or seek a new way to support it this weekend when i have more time.
if i do something about it ill take some pics of my solution and post here for sure.
might even be able to relocate those previously mentioned bolts further forward to help lift and push up the mid of the bumper?
have a few ideas, just need to escape the daily grind of work to get a chance to try them out haha.

[HEXEM]

it's actually a standard thing that holden do now, scrivets aren't used from my10, rather they use 4 bolts to secure it.. 2 is plenty as you need to tap the thread

Spot on. I had my local dealer thread tap the 4 holes to replace the plastic scrivets. Holden did release a techline for the earlier model VE's with saging bumper, but it said to use tech screws and washers to fix the under tray to the subframe (dodgy). I have 8mm bolts and washers.

If you already have them loosen them off a touch and have someone push up on the front bar and hold it while you retighten the bolts. This might help your issue.

[-vkhg]

hexem or neisha,

could either of you post a couple pics/instruction on what youve done/had done?

looking to fix mine but wanna do it right!

[Zerone_V]

There are 4 bolts under the front of the bumper, that hold it in place that can come loose, or simply fall out...
These are the screws that cause problems.

Have a look at the following (Particularly step 5, which shows the screws I am talking baout)
www.carmodder.com • Front Bumper Bar Replacement for the Holden VE Commodore

Also check where the bumper joins the fender... There are 2 bolts there that hold the bumper in place, and help align the bumper with the fender.
These dont affect the play too much, but they can contribute.

[HEXEM]

hexem or neisha,

could either of you post a couple pics/instruction on what youve done/had done?

looking to fix mine but wanna do it right!

Its an easy fix. I will try and get some photos with the iphone tonight for you

Edit: Ok here are the picks for what you need to do to firmly secure the bumper.

If you look just under the bottom of the front bumber where the under tray starts you will see black plastic plugs (located where I now have the bolts). When your ready to do the job remove those plastic plugs (you'll more than likely break them) and tap the holes with an 8mm thread.

You actually thread the sub assembly allowing the bolts to be tighten properly. The hex bolts I used were supplied by my dealer which are high tensile and coated so they minimise rust.

When your finished tapping the hold screw in the bolts and do up hand tight. You might need a second person for this part. Lift the bumber upwards grabbing just under where the licence plate it and hold while you tighten up the bolt. Alternatively you can just leave that and put the bolts in and tighten...

That was all there was to it...

Cheers
Phil