Help with front wheel well plastic liner

[keithsf]

Hi - I needed to get access behind the black plastic liner that protects the front wheel wells on my '97. Aft of the front tires, the plastic liner is mounted, starting at the bottom, first with two screws, then two black plastic rivets, then a bolt that connects to a plastic backing clip, then another couple of rivets, etc. When I unscrewed the bolt with the backing clip the clip fell down behind the plastic. I retrieved it - it was cracked - and bought a replacement. But for the life of me I can't seem to figure out how to put on the new clip and get it to stay in place when I try to re-connect the bolt. It keeps on slipping off the aluminum lip of sheet metal. Are you supposed to glue it? Or can anyone offer any insight? Thanks!

 

[ChopsJazz]

Hi - I needed to get access behind the black plastic liner that protects the front wheel wells on my '97. Aft of the front tires, the plastic liner is mounted, starting at the bottom, first with two screws, then two black plastic rivets, then a bolt that connects to a plastic backing clip, then another couple of rivets, etc. When I unscrewed the bolt with the backing clip the clip fell down behind the plastic. I retrieved it - it was cracked - and bought a replacement. But for the life of me I can't seem to figure out how to put on the new clip and get it to stay in place when I try to re-connect the bolt. It keeps on slipping off the aluminum lip of sheet metal. Are you supposed to glue it? Or can anyone offer any insight? Thanks!

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[Hugh]

The clip is designed to grip the sheetmetal after it's secured in place. Just tighten it snugly and it acts like a little clamp.

 

[keithsf]

I can't get the plastic hole to even line up with the clip long enough to get the bolt thru without the clip dropping off. The more I look at it, it looks like I have to take the whole liner off and then connect that one first. ??

 

[keithsf]

Oh wait - do you mean attach the clip to the liner, then try to slip the whole thing onto the sheet metal? Let me look again!