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Howdy,
I've been thinking of how to mount pull bars securely and sturdy inside a 1979 F150 Cab. A pillars most likely where they will be. Any ideas or at home fabricated ones you've guys done? mounting ideas would help as well. Thanks in advance.
These were made from drive shaft safety loop material. Mounted thru the A pillar, used carriage bolts to get a low profile on the outer side.
Passenger side got one also.
Some OEM one's from some Ford vehicle in the JY when I was experimenting.
There are a # of threads about cab grab handles.
I went with auto-style grab bars on the interior roof. Didn't want self-tapping screws in the A-pillar, and was able to use fender washers under the nuts for additional reinforcement. With the headliner removed, you can easily get a fender washer, lockwasher, bolt, and box end wrench on the mounting bolts. By using grab bars from a car with the same blue interior, they blend pretty well - you can see the one over the driver's window.
These were made from drive shaft safety loop material. Mounted thru the A pillar, used carriage bolts to get a low profile on the outer side.
Passenger side got one also.
Some OEM one's from some Ford vehicle in the JY when I was experimenting.
There are a # of threads about cab grab handles.
nice! Those look sturdy. What do you guys think of using rivnuts and bolting them up. Think they'd work well? Thanks for the ideas.
I should of stated/showed you that they mounted thru the A pillar pinch seam of the A pillar cavity, again NOT thru the actual A pillar cavity. That is why I used carriage bolts. Rivnets/Nutsert is a good idea and how they do it on new trucks. But quality Rivnuts and the install tool is not cheap. Then what about if it lets go/tears out and bam you are on you tailbone.
Some folks talk about pre drilling the Rivnut hole and then installing a Rivnet and that in turn compromising the structural integrity of the A pillar.....well would that not apply to new vehicles then? Mine handle me grabbing on them to climb in and keeps me from grabbing and yanking on the steering wheel.
In my last 2 pics you can see the double material pinch seam I am talking about.
I should of stated/showed you that they mounted thru the A pillar pinch seam of the A pillar cavity, again NOT thru the actual A pillar cavity. That is why I used carriage bolts. Rivnets/Nutsert is a good idea and how they do it on new trucks. But quality Rivnuts and the install tool is not cheap. Then what about if it lets go/tears out and bam you are on you tailbone.
Some folks talk about pre drilling the Rivnut hole and then installing a Rivnet and that in turn compromising the structural integrity of the A pillar.....well would that not apply to new vehicles then? Mine handle me grabbing on them to climb in and keeps me from grabbing and yanking on the steering wheel.
In my last 2 pics you can see the double material pinch seam I am talking about.
Oh ok I see what you mean. something to think about for sure. Thanks again. Something I'll have to think about when deciding where and what fasteners to drill into the cab.
It does NOT interfere with the weatherstripping. And speaking of that, the weatherstripping is from a 90's ish Ford truck with the internal metal. I can get you some pics this evening showing that side of it.
I wanted more lift up rather then forward so I mounted to the roof section. as did roofdave. If I remember correctly these came out of Grand Marquis wagon back doors. The front door ones were worn bad.
Aluminum, they can be ordered solid aluminum color, but I ordered black and then sanded / polished the top. They come with some fasteners, but I used 1/4-2- stainless steel socket head screws and a thin 1/4" ss flat washer (they have a rather smooth rounded head that the rubber fits over nicely) coming through the pinch weld from the outside to inside, & I used chromed cap nuts that have a smooth rounded top inside. The nuts fit in the recess and I have a thin wall 7/16" socket that fits there too. I have new rubber, but moved it out of my way to measure / drill holes, and then applied a thin run of glue and glued the rubber back, then used a 1-1/4" OD stainless steel fender washer under the handle after bending a lip in one edge using my vise and hammer. Very solid. I used the same handles as door pulls and even as grab handles near my tail gate.
Come in several sizes too.
Aluminum, they can be ordered solid aluminum color, but I ordered black and then sanded / polished the top. They come with some fasteners, but I used 1/4-2- stainless steel socket head screws and a thin 1/4" ss flat washer (they have a rather smooth rounded head that the rubber fits over nicely) coming through the pinch weld from the outside to inside, & I used chromed cap nuts that have a smooth rounded top inside. The nuts fit in the recess and I have a thin wall 7/16" socket that fits there too. I have new rubber, but moved it out of my way to measure / drill holes, and then applied a thin run of glue and glued the rubber back, then used a 1-1/4" OD stainless steel fender washer under the handle after bending a lip in one edge using my vise and hammer. Very solid. I used the same handles as door pulls and even as grab handles near my tail gate.
Come in several sizes too. Amazon.com: PZRT 2-Pack Black Aluminium Alloy Handle Rectangular Industrial Pull Handle for 30 Series Aluminum Extrusion Profile Accessories 120mm : Industrial & Scientific
Nice those look awesome tbear! Definitely going to look into them. Thank you for the link. They look really solid.
Rich, do you have a picture of the other side where the carriage bolt goes through? Does it mess with the weatherstrip?
Remember I am using the 90's slip on weather stripping with the inner metal strip to "self stay" on the pinch seam. IMO it does not cause any issues with the weather stripping. Ok maybe it does hold it out just a bit where the round part of the handle is. A fellow awesome FTE member made those handles for me, so I was dang sure using them.
No change to where the seal goes on the A pillar pinch seam.
You can barely see the carriage bolt head.
I drilled the hole just big enough to get the threaded part thru, but not enough to let the square part all the way thru. I wanted the square part to lock in something, that is why it is not fully seated. Seal covers it up just fine.
Carriage bolts with the square under the head, the square is often tapered so it presses into wood easier. I find that ... a 1/4" one pulls in and grips well in a 5/16" hole ... and a 5/16" one is a good fit in a 3/8" hole ... and a 3/8" one draws into a 7/16" pretty neatly ... and that a 7/16" carriage bolt grips well in a ~1/2" hole ... etc. A great fit leaves a round hole with 4 little gripping notches cut or pressed in by the square shank's corners. Testing one's fit just by hand in a drill gauge with all the holes is a good way to test for a decent fit. I'll often use a same upsized thin flat washer too just to use up some of the square shank length or to add surface area under the head.
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