cab outside grab handles

[LCAM-01XA]

How do those attach to the sheetmetal? I have a pair of nice grab handles from my Lincoln that I wanna put on my truck (vertically-mounted, right behind the doors), they attach with two 1/4" bolts and I want to use stainless steel bolts with some washers on the inside of the sheetmetal to strengthen it. Well I can drill through the outside sheetmetal, but there is this evil plate on the inside of the cab where the seatbelt bolts go in, which would block my access to the bolts for the grab handles. How do factory/dealer-installed handles get around that issue?

 

[DragRag]

My crew cab that I just posted in the pic or your idi post has them screwed on with big self tappers with 3/8 heads. I think as long as your not 400#'s they should hold just fine. I pulled one from an 85' crew cab at pick and pull to replace one of mine, and it was bolted with stainless bolt and nuts. It was done both ways as far as I have seen.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Well, part of the problem is that where I wanna put them there is just the outside skin of the cab, no reinforcement on the inside, and I don't really trust that a whole lot. The one you pulled from the junkyard tho, if it was bolts and nuts, how did you get to the nuts on the inside to remove them? Cause that's just what my issues is...

 

[Diesel_brad]

9 out of ten times they are just sheet metal screwed on. They will be more than enough. Figure a Lund visor is only held on w sheet metal screws and i have never seen one of them rip off even doing 100+mph unless someone didnt put all the screws in. you could always do a nutsert if you dont trust the sheet metal screws(how the mirrors are held on) you would have to go to a body shop to get it done though. The "gun" they use to install em is over $200, so it wouldn't be economial for you to buy one

 

[DragRag]

It was at a junk yard so I just ****** the plastic off and put a wrench on the inside nut, no biggy. There didn't seem to be anything in the way, it was a rear one. He's right though, most are just screwed on from the outside.

 

[tknomaj]

Your answer is nutzerts if a factory panel nut that is welded in place behind the outer skin sheet metal is damaged they install a nutzert/rivnut it is a ouvergrown rivet except the pulling piece that secures the rivet is a threaded post that is attached to the nutzert/rivnut gun you install proper sixe post in gun and thread nutzrt/rivnut on to post drill hole and install the same as rivet works wonders and is strong if you wait till monday i will take pictures of gun and nutzerts/rivnuts so you can see them for purchase the gun is not that much and my lund moon visor is installed with them i will check on price of gun on monday

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Good info guys, but since I can't afford a body shop visit and I'm a DIY-er to begin with, I devised my own solution:

- top bolts sit about 1" below the rain gutters so I just used some 3" long carriage bolts that go through both the outer skin and the inner formed sheetmetal wall, I ran them from the inside out then secured the handles with nylock nuts.

- bottom bolts sit about 9" below the top ones, or 10" below the rain gutters, that's low enough that I was able to reach up from a gap between the outer skin and inner wall that is way down near the seat belt mechanisms, I ran those bolts too from the inside out and secured the handles on with nylock nuts.

So now everything is pretty darn strong, and nothing ain't going nowhere even when my 200-something lbs house mate pulls on them good

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Only 200-pounds, your woman ain't even started growing yet.


Harbor Freight has insert-nut guns for a very reasonable price.

Myself, I would drill and TAP a steel bar with the holes matching those on the grab-handle, then slide this bar behind the outer wall, threading the stainless bolts through the holes in the cab and into the tapped holes of the steel bar.

This would spread the weight across a lot of sheet-metal.

A piece of plastic, cut from a jug, could also be drilled to match and placed between the steel bar and sheet-metal, thus preventing any corrosion.


If the seat-belt bracket interferes, remove it and weld it to the bar.

 

[LCAM-01XA]

Midnight Rider, it ain't a chick, it's my drinking buddy from college But yah, I guess the threaded bar is a pretty nice solution, if you have the bar and the taps, and I don't have either, so I did what I could with what I had, and it worked out pretty decent. Hell, tis better and stronger than most setups out there, so I'm happy.