looking for a repair kit for my double wall topper on my 1972 Blazer. The area of concern would be where the topper bolts down from the sun visor mounts. We took the topper off and both sides have a 2.5" stud sticking out. one is hard to turn and the other one spins in place and will not pull out of the topper. Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
CK5
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topper
- Thread starter Montanachris
- Start date
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
I've never seen a repair kit for that. You just need to extract those broken bolts/studs (they were supposed to be bolts). Use lots of pb blaster or cut the rusted parts out and re-
fiberglass them back in.
fiberglass them back in.
I am a little worried about getting them back into the proper place where everything in lines up correctly
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
You can maybe take a few pictures to explain more? , but there should be a larger metal plate under the fiberglass that’s riveted in. You may be able to cut a couple slices in the fiberglass to allow the shell to separate and then remove the metal plate.
I guess first I’d try cutting the stud flush and then drill it out with increasing diameter bits until the leftover chunk of stud is thin enough to break loose.
One of the studs just spins and will not come out the other one is Frozen in place so driver side just bends and will not come out and passenger side is Frozen I did not realize they were riveted in as far as the plates I'm just nervous about cutting into the topper
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
Is the top still on the truck?
No I've taken it off had to install a new front windshield header and it's nervous about everything fitting back in place
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
In that case you should be able to just cut the studs off flush at least. Then try and drill it out from the side that’s stuck. If it’s a double-wall too you could cut an access hole from the outside and patch is later.
But where do I get new ones and how do I get them in the right spot
I just need to cut into it and see what needs to be done I'll speculating now until I tear Into it
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
They are supposed to be bolts, not studs. Any hardware store should have new studs. That’s assuming the nut inside survives. The one that’s spinning already needs to be replaced. You may need to fabricate one yourself.
Yes I will have to put a new nut in however I just want to make sure it's in the right spot
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
I think this is one of those cases where you gotta be extra creative. Maybe once you get the broken stuff out, you can get the top back on and mark the hole locations through the sun visor mounting hole. Or install the new bolt and nut through the Sun visor and somehow clamp the nut in place before you take the top back off and finish the repair.
Now that is a great Idea and probably the direction I will go. I know I've seen repair kits for this but can not recall where.
If I’m understanding right, cut the studs off and re-drill where the studs are. Then just use a rivnut tool the put new threaded inserts in.
bp71k5
3/4 ton status
If he can get the nut that’s spinning out of its metal mounting bracket, and the mounting bracket is still locked in place, that thing might be an option.
for the side that’s not spinning, if he can drill it out and remove the frozen nut, it could also work.
I hope the bracket is still in place
