Trouble removing inner fender liner dodge ram.

[The motor guy]

On my 3rd gen dodge it has eight 8mm screws that hold the inner plastic fender liner on. Now on my older 1999 dodge ram I have no idea how to remove them. It's got these plastic cover looking things that don't have any way to unscrew as far as I can tell.

 

[Nukeman7]

The liner is attached with plastic rivets (about 10 or so). You'll need to knock the centers out of these rivets and remove the outer rivet part to remove the wheel well liners from the truck. See illustration below.

 

[The motor guy]

How do you do that? That's where I'm confused

 

[Nukeman7]

On some cars, you can pry the center pin out with a small pick. On other cars, you have to drill them out or destructively remove the entire fastener and use new ones.

 

[The motor guy]

On some cars, you can pry the center pin out with a small pick. On other cars, you have to drill them out or destructively remove the entire fastener and use new ones.

Oh lord... guess I'll keep trying to line the ecm up with the bolt holes from the top. Nothing like kneeling on the radiator and valve cover with each knee.

 

[The motor guy]

Oh lord... guess I'll keep trying to line the ecm up with the bolt holes from the top. Nothing like kneeling on the radiator and valve cover with each knee.

Are these rivets easy to source?

 

[Nukeman7]

I think these might be the correct ones:

Dodge Ram Fender Liner Plastic Rivets

If so, you should be able to just use a small awl to push in the center pin and remove the existing rivets without damage.

 

[Soft Cars]

The liner is attached with plastic rivets (about 10 or so). You'll need to knock the centers out of these rivets and remove the outer rivet part to remove the wheel well liners from the truck. See illustration below.

Plastic rivets? You mean push pins don't you?

 

[The motor guy]

Plastic rivets? You mean push pins don't you?

View attachment 189234

That's more what it looks like. So how do you get that top to pop out?

 

[Nukeman7]

That's more what it looks like. So how do you get that top to pop out?

If it is a push pin style fastener, all you need to do is to pry up/out the center part with a thin flat bladed screwdriver. However, the Dodge RAM drawing for the plastic fender liner shows plastic rivets like below...maybe they have been replaced before?

 

[Soft Cars]

That's more what it looks like. So how do you get that top to pop out?

Push Pin Pliers

That top slides all the way out and then you pull the bottom section out.

 

[The motor guy]

Push Pin Pliers

That top slides all the way out and then you pull the bottom section out.

View attachment 189238

View attachment 189240

How far does the top part pull out?

 

[Soft Cars]

How far does the top part pull out?

All the way out if you want it to. Most of the time the push pin will come out in one piece if you pull the top up a little bit.

 

[The motor guy]

All the way out if you want it to. Most of the time the push pin will come out in one piece if you pull the top up a little bit.

OK yeah I remember these things now. Had them on my brother's Honda pilot had to pop those off to remove the battery or something stupid like that.

 

[Soft Cars]

OK yeah I remember these things now. Had them on my brother's Honda pilot had to pop those off to remove the battery or something stupid like that.

They were invented so they could assemble cars quick.

 

[The motor guy]

They were invented so they could assemble cars quick.

I'm not sure you can say the same thing about the removal part.

 

[Nukeman7]

I have these cheap pliers from Harbor Freight. They work great for Honda fasteners but the plastic fasteners may be brittle from age.

 

[Soft Cars]

I'm not sure you can say the same thing about the removal part.

No you're right; they're not easy to remove. I would've preferred something threaded.