No spring steel housing on mine but I am sure we are talking about the same wires. Mine are sheathed in black plastic tubing. The wires disappear into the the bottom of the fan assembly and the shroud. Yes, I hooked the plug up to 12v and ground and the fans ignored it - no spinning. The R&R procedure in the service manual has you removing the radiator, pumping out the R134, disconnecting the condenser, etc. I did not understand your reference to the bumper cover but after reading Chris' "shameless plug" it makes sense. Nice write up Chris. I am going to give your method a shot. Thanks gentlemen.

Fair winds and following seas, Friz