We're trying to get our truck linex'ed on the rocker panels and the guy just called and said he can't get the nerf bars off!! They're factory. He called Dodge down the road and they told him if he can't get them off with a prybar to drill a hole. He said he can get them loose, but apparently there's a nut or something holding it on on the other side of the panel, but he can't get in there (and it just spins).

Any suggestions? I don't want to drill a hole! That's just asking for rust.

It's a 2004 2500 HD diesel.

 

Cut the spinning bolt off and replace it with another captive fastener?

 

Victor Can. Victor torches ALWAYS can.

 

Sometimes you can very tightly put some Vise-Grips on the bolt and hang on it with all your weight while turning it and it will come off that way. You may have to get a hole saw in there to get access to the nut. Cutting it off will work but then you still need to be able to get another one back in there to reinstall them....

 

The bolts go into tabs on the inside, the tabs have to align with the holes in the body to remove (the bolts do not have to be removed, just turned enough that the tab aligns with the holes). They are kinda a pain to remove but it can be done without drilling any holes or cutting anything. I was also able to reinstall mine with the factory hardware without cutting or drilling anything. Very stupid design but hate to say it but the line-x people must not know what they're doing.

 

Very helpful. Thanks everyone!!

Yeah-we're not so impressed with the line-x guy at the moment. And then he was laughing over the phone like it was funny-kind of. Not funny.

 

It's a oval hole! Just spin the flat steel nut a little & it will come out after all the other brackets are off. I just took mine off the other day.