Front bumper removal on a 2013 GTS

[TRH62]

Has anyone removed the front fascia on their 2013 Viper. Just wanting to know if it's just a few bolts and maybe two connectors that is all there is to take it off. I'm wanting to remove mine and take it somewhere and get it repainted since it has some nicks and small scraps from to many car cruises. I'm kinda picky! lol Not wanting to drop off my car and leave it!

Thanks

[BJG32]

Easy removal. Takes 15 mins at the most. No hidden bolts or anything. Just need to remove all exposed bolts under the hood, in wheel wells, and under the car.

[SilveRT8]

While my front bumper was off, to paint the grille body color, I installed some black plastic wire mesh behind the grille to protect the radiator from road débris.
Plastic rain gutter mesh sold in a roll at the local hardware store

[ViperPete]

Do you have a pic of the grille body colored??

[ViperGeorge]

Do you have a pic of the grille body colored??

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[AZTVR]

Easy removal. Takes 15 mins at the most. No hidden bolts or anything. Just need to remove all exposed bolts under the hood, in wheel wells, and under the car.

Are there shims in there that one needs to keep track of number and location like on a Gen II ?

[SilveRT8]

Are there shims in there that one needs to keep track of number and location like on a Gen II ?

Yes, on most of the exposed bolts at the top of the bumper, to aling with the base of the hood

[TRH62]

Awesome

Thanks for the info!

[BJG32]

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This looks pretty cool but something seems off to me. I think if you extend the stripes it would look better.

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[ViperGeorge]

This looks pretty cool but something seems off to me. I think if you extend the stripes it would look better.

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Yea, I did the same mock up but never got around to getting the stripes extended. Now that I've had the car for a couple of years I kind of got lazy or used to it the way it is. If I were to do it over I would do would you suggest.

[viperr]

I really liked the photos of the white Viper that BJG32 posted. I hate to copy the idea, but it seems like painting the very intricate grille allows you to show off an nicely styled inner grill which goes back to the old crosshair grill like I had on my Gen II. It is more modernized and is not very visible when colored black, especially from a distance.

It has been a long cold and rainy winter here in Washington State, so I decided to paint the inner grille on my Adrenalin Red 2014 GTS. I had to remove the fascia which takes about 15 minutes and then remove the clips that hold the grille and air scoops in. I was able to do the paintwork for about $100 in materials. While I was at it I had a friend do a carbon fiber dip on the air scoops. I just got it done last night and wanted to share what it looks like. I know that some may not like it, but I think it gives my red car a more interesting look in the front. The big black mouth was very scary, but by painting the grille it has given the snake some "teeth" and a bit more personality. The carbon fiber pattern air scoops stand out well, but I need sunnier days to show them off. If anyone has a desire to do this I would be glad to give them all the details. By the way I was able to use spray cans with basecoat and a spray can 2K clear coat for the finish. It was easier than using my spray guns and was reasonably priced. Here are a few shots of the car and some close-ups from indoors.23743
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[swexlin]

That looks very nice. I like it!

[GTS21]

I like it! Does remind me of a Gen 2.

[SilveRT8]

Mine done in white, 3 years ago now

[viperr]

I really like the look in white. After I saw the one other one I knew I wanted to do the same look. It gives some much more visual pop to the front end. So many photos of the stock front end tends to just show a big black hole. The detail of the grille is allowed to show up and it shows a real family resemblance to the earlier generation Vipers. Thanks for the pictures. Nice job.

[ViperPete]

What has always surprised me is that no one has put fangs on the grille....I love the way my car looks with them

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[MoparJohn]

I will suggest that if you are pulling the front bumper cover that you use this opportunity to install the front tow hook. While the directions say you can do it from the top it is much easier to do when the bumper cover is removed. Be careful installing the screws in the wheel well. I suggest backing the screw with some sort of washer as there is not much surface area there and if your over tighten you will very easily crush the edge of the bumper cover in the wheel well. I backed the the inside of the wheel well liner with some nylon body washers to provide a larger surface area for the screw to pull against then just the clips.

[viperr]

Thanks for that suggestion. I may do a one by one removal of wheel well fasteners and put in the nylon washers as you suggested. It should help make a much better connection.

[MoparJohn]

It worked really well for me. Especially on the lowest holes in the fender well.


Thanks for that suggestion. I may do a one by one removal of wheel well fasteners and put in the nylon washers as you suggested. It should help make a much better connection.

[viperr]

Mopar John, I just finished putting the nylon washers in the fender-well attachment points like you mentioned. What a great modification. I think they should have done it like this from the factory. Those holes can become a weak point on a fascia and I think I am in good shape on my car now. I had a 1999 RT-10 and had removed and reinstalled the fascia several times and the longer I had the car the flimsier the holes and attachments became. I really like the simplicity of the Gen V and its lack of plastic push in attachments for the front fascia.

By the way, I have always felt the hood to fascia gap was a bit wide on my cart so I measured and it was out of spec. I put 2 of the 1/16 inch thick shims on each of the the driver side and put 1 of the 1/16 inch ones on each fastener in the middle. The drivers side was fine, but now I am happier with the narrower gap.

[Lawineer]

Sorry to dig up an old thread, but is the grill in any way functional? Can it be removed all together?