Fender Liner Removal How To

***UPDATED*** Original post below, but here's what i found out:

To remove the liners, you don't have to pull the flares. In fact, if you are going to remove the flares you really should pull the liner out first so you don't have to struggle to pop the little clips that hold the flare in place.

1. remove 6 (i think there's 6) bolts that sandwich the liner between the flare and the fender. (and hold the flare on) Two are at the very bottom - one each side - and may be unnecessary, the rest are in the arch.
2. pop out the two barbed fasteners in the top of the liner. If you break them, I found these work:
   $6 uxcell 9mm x 8mm Hole Plastic Car Fender Fir Tree Clips Rivets Retainer Universal 30pcs
   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BA7T296
3. remove the 6 or 8 square-bodied round-headed grommets shown below. Good luck, they're stubborn. Like I said, i resorted to just cutting them off. You can get them from Amazon for about $.50/ea. (i was able to get about 1/2 out without damage, but what a pain!)
   $10 15 Fender Liner Screw Grommets Tacoma T100 4 Runner
   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040CX5I8/ It turns out there is a tool for doing this, it's a pry bar with a round head... i used something similar and the head often just deformed. I wouldn't get the tool. I'd make sure you have nippers.
4. At this point the liner should be easy to pull out.

If you do have to pull on the flares a bit to get the grommets out, be careful! I snapped two of the parts of the flare that the little retention clips mount to. Glue holding great (also, see below)

Original post:

I'm trying to mount some stuff in the bed... Need to remove the fender liners. Lots of searching hasn't resulted in much help... There are these damn Toyota Fender Grommets holding the fender liner in place:


Might have been misguided, but i thought the flare needed to come off too, popped two of the little features that capture the body clips, so those are now curing... hope the epoxy holds.


/grrrrr/

Now i realize i can probably get the liner out without taking off the flare, but anyone have a tip for popping off those things? I tried using pliers and a 10mm box wrench to hold the barbs in while prying, pushing, wiggling, and swearing, but ended up resorting to just clipping them with dikes. Best thing i found searching was "those things made me curse and throw tools." Har. Hoping if someone has the silver bullet they'll share, otherwise, join the bitch-fest...

 

Keep us updated I need to fix one on my clips that broke

 

Ok, I used loctite "plastic" epoxy, cured over night and it seems definitely stronger than the original part! Still no word on those damn grommets. I am betting body shops have buckets of them and just snip them off...

 

I found these on Amazon
100xNylon Fender Wheel Flare Moulding Clips For Toyota 90904-67036

ACD.auto 100xNylon Fender Wheel Flare Moulding Clips compatible with Toyota 90904-67036

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MBB5BNW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_caV-xbDZBXXRC

 

Thanks! Unfortunately it was the piece of the fender flare that holds those clips in place that actually broke. But... epoxy to the rescue.

 

sub'd. I've been trying to figure out how to get the rear liners out also with no luck. I was also thinking I would have to pull the whole fender flare to get at the liner.

 

I thought you were saying both broke

 

Having just done it, it's fresh in my mind. You don't have to pull the flares. In fact, if you are going to remove the flares you really should pull the liner out first so you don't have to struggle to pop the little clips that hold the flare in place.

1. remove 6 (i think there's 6) bolts that sandwich the liner between the flare and the fender. (and hold the flare on) Two are at the very bottom and may be unnecessary, the rest are in the arch.
2. pop out teh two barbed fasteners in the top of the liner.
3. remove the 6 or 8 square-bodied round-headed grommets that look like the thing in the first post. Good luck, they're stubborn. Like I said, i resorted to just cutting them off. You can get them from Amazon for about $.50/ea. (i was able to get about 1/2 out without damage, but what a pain!)
4. liner should be easy to pull out.

If you do have to pull on the flares a bit to get the grommets out, be careful!

 

Since you have already taken off your flares, rather than trial and error epoxy and finding a way to make it stay, why not just do the poor mans bushwackers mod.
They look great and save alot of money as well as trouble if you have to take off your flares again for some reason.
Just a suggestion.

 

Link?

 

Here you go.
This is the first time ive posted a link so if it do t work let me know. https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/bolt-on-flare-mod-poor-mans-bushwhackers.388131/


They look really good on mine. I know they aren't for everyone but mods on a budget they work. Also make things alot easier to wrench on if your like me and always breaking the clips off.

 

One thing i forgot to mention even though it is mentioned later in that thread is that is used teflon lock nuts on the inside so I wouldn't have to worry about vibrating loose. I also used washers on the outside for looks and to make it sturdier where the bolts are

 

Thanks! If I was pulling them on and off a lot, i might do that, but i'm going to stick with the factory look. Hopefully, i'm done pulling flares off for the time being!

 

Updated original post with what i found out!

 

Why would you want to remove that inner liner?
Sure, I had to cut into it because my oversized tires and my spidertrax caused a rub, but why take them out altogether?
It seems to unnecessarily open up way to much engine room to road debris, no?

 

I pulled them to gain access to the outside of the bed for some mounting of tools...

 

Right, and I get that one. I was wondering why folks removed the front inner fenders permanently.

 

Ahhh no idea. Seems like a bad idea to me.

 

Haven't tried the fronts yet but I removed the rear well grommets with a pair of channel locks to squeeze the side tabs and a small socket handle to push them through. On some awkwardly placed ones I used a flat blade screwdriver to push the tabs one at a time while prying out on the grommet with a piece of plastic or wood shim(anything that won't scratch the paint).

Anyone have pics of the inside of the front wheel wells? I was wondering if I could run wire there through grommets in the engine bay wall and behind the foot well side panel. Avoiding the main wire grommet.

 

Subed for info, thanks @Zebinator