How to get these 67 grill bolts off

[Brad]

I'm trying to straighten out the inner grill and need to cut off these rivets that hold it on. I've tried a 4" grinder and that won't work because it grabs too much and will ruin the pieces. A Dremel will take hours and, when trying to drill them out, they just spin and there's too little to grab on to.
Anyone got any ideas?

[Bishops Trucks]

Sounds to me like the Dremel and some patients. I have 3 grills I have to do that to. Maybe we will get lucky and someone will show us an easy way to do this.

[68shortfleet]

How about a drop of loctite where they are spinning and come back in a couple of days and try the drill again?

Jason

[PanelDeland]

Try reachin in from behind with a pair of Vise grips.Clamp the tail of the rivet and drill the head off.I haven't done it,it is just a suggestion.You only need to drill a 1/8 or so center out of the rivet.

[67arch]

I just used a drill bit a little bigger than the rivet hole and then used a center punch or nail set to pop them out. Didn't damage grill at all.

[cdowns]

i'd try using a larger size center punch and wackin it right in the center to tighten it up then a sharp drill about 1/4-5/16 inch to drill the head off// a too small a drill bit is sometimes the worst thing to use when removing rivet heads

[Dano69c10]

If I remember correctly, I used a nail punch on the back side of the rivet, couple of wacks and its off!

[Robznob11]

use the drill bit thats the best way if you use about a 3/8 bit you don't even need the punch they just fall out took me about 10 min to do a grill and ive done 2 those are made out of aluminum and chew up fast...

[Brad]

I ended up taking a Dremel with a cut-off wheel and carefully cutting the heads off parallel with the shank, at several different sides. They'd pop right through and I didn't have to deal with them spinning in the holes.

[69RAT]

Sharp chisel works the best! 2-3 whacks and they're gone.

[willis0107]

you can remove the entire grill and then place a pair of vice grips on the back. Drill them out and you should be ok. If it is the ones that hold the grill molding on they have a spring nut on the back of them

[Brad]

Originally Posted by 69RAT

Sharp chisel works the best! 2-3 whacks and they're gone.

The problem with this is the chisel tends to want to keep going into something you don't want it to.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by willis0107

you can remove the entire grill and then place a pair of vice grips on the back. Drill them out and you should be ok. If it is the ones that hold the grill molding on they have a spring nut on the back of them

Removing the grill is the hard way of doing it, but not if the grill's gotta come off anyway. With drilling they just spin in their hole and there's not enough room to grip the backside when it's still bolted on.
Again, I was referring to the rivets holding the inserts in the core support, not the grill molding pieces.

[Sport/Truck]

I have a special chisel for my air hammer that keeps the chisel form cutting into the metal; it makes quick work with rivets. Or you could have used a right angle die grinder with a 2in disc.
s/t

[Brad]

Originally Posted by Sport/Truck

I have a special chisel for my air hammer that keeps the chisel form cutting into the metal; it makes quick work with rivets. Or you could have used a right angle die grinder with a 2in disc.
s/t

No, I couldn't have used either of these since you didn't bring them over!

[Scott68-93-97]

use a 4 in grinder but use a flap disc intead of a grinding wheel, personally I use a flap disc for almost all my grinding just courser ones for heavier stuff, using one leaves the metal smooth and it wont grab hard and ruin the metal around it

[Brad]

Originally Posted by Scott68-93-97

use a 4 in grinder but use a flap disc intead of a grinding wheel, personally I use a flap disc for almost all my grinding just courser ones for heavier stuff, using one leaves the metal smooth and it wont grab hard and ruin the metal around it

The problem with using the 4" grinder with whatever you place as the 'sandpaper' is that you run the risk of it running off and in this case you'll end up with a damaged grill very easily.

[Scott68-93-97]

Did it to mine and there was no damage just a steady careful hand, I do agree with a regular grinding wheel it can be hard to control and damage the grill, even if the flap disc does slip off it wont grind into it unless your bearing down on it

[michael bustamante]

you should be able to grab the back o the rivit with some small needle nose vice grips while the grill is still mounted to the truck. I know that nornal regular vice grips wont work. good luck