The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Inner fender bolts

54' 3600. Im pulling the fenders off and the inner one has these bolts here. Are these accessed from in the Cab? If so mine are just spinning and going nowhere. Anyone hot any tips on how to access these?

They are accessible from inside the cab. Those rectangular nuts in your photo are welded/staked to the inner fender. They don't appear to be spinning or loose in your photo, though. If you can, you might consider snapping the heads off them, and deal with the weld-on nuts and remnants of the bolts once the inner fender is off. Replacement weld nuts are available from McMaster-Carr or other suppliers.

Kevin's advice is good.

However, I believe in prayer and swear, and in good luck.

Before breaking-off/snapping-off the bolt heads:

- Try a lot of penetrating oil on the threads that show, and around the heads.

- Wire brush the threads a few times.

- Then, see if you can loosen the bolts.

Do as Tim suggested but instead of trying to remove the bolt try tightening in just a tiny bit. Many times that motion will loosen the bolt and allow you to remove it.

But he said the bolts were spinning, indicating that the bolt or nut threads are completely stripped, although the pic doesn't indicate that (maybe it was a "before" shot).
Both Tim and Martin's suggestions are good if the threads are frozen. Tighten and loosen as Martin suggested sometimes works, although by a couple of cycles, I usually find the head in the socket with the threads still engaged in the nut. In this case, it would at least get the truck apart. On my truck, the floorboard (or lack thereof) allowed the inner fenders to come loose. I did have to re-weld a couple of the weld-on nuts.

If original, the heads should take a flat screwdriver. This creates a problem since you can't apply much torque to those type of screw heads. It really isn't necessary for these bolts to have that kind of head since the thick, spongy padding under the floor mat will easily hide a hex head even with a washer under it.
Grind the heads off with an angle grinder, then take the inner fender to the bench where you can more easily spray them with Kroil or similar, or apply heat to the captured nut, and so that you can get vice grips on the exposed threads (visible in your pic) and easily unscrew them.
Carl

The bolts holding the inner fenders to kickboard on my truck were hex, and I'm pretty sure they were original. The LF fender was replaced but the right was original.
But either slotted heads or hex can be ground off like you suggest. Much easier to work on stuck bolts when you're not laying on your back underneath or trying to squeeze under the dash.

Heat, as mentioned above, will allow almost any bolts to be taken out, IF it can be done safely. Get the bolt red, let it cool off, then remove.

Ed

Just danced this jig about a month ago. Wire wheeled the threads 1st then applied heat, heat and heat which saved the day for me.

Ended up 2 of the 3 captured nuts broke loose in the process (thats where vice grips come in handy) and I ended up using flat washers, lock washers and nuts as replacements (sorry purists, LOL).
Good luck
Dave

Well Dave, that does it. You're out of the club. Not a big problem though. Not very many left in that club anymore...

Carl