Grab handle removal

Does the grab handle have to be removed, in order to remove the inside molding piece, that it is on. I think that is the window pillar. I watched a vid. where the handle is held on by 2 10mm bolts. Sadly mine is Philips head, torqued on by king kong. It won't give. But does it need to? I wish to remove those inside panels. What the front of the door window abuts to. What's the trick?
Thanks

 

harbor freight, impact screwdriver + pb blaster

 

I think they're actually JIS screws, which are similar enough to Phillips that most people don't recognize the difference, but different enough from Phillips that a regular Phillips driver is almost guaranteed to slip.

An impact driver (either electronic or mechanical/hammer type) will make a big difference.

I don't remember for sure, but a #3 Phillips might work better than #2.

 

It seems like every project with this truck, starts off with a trip to Harbor Freight.
Thanks for the info

 

Those two bolts are almost impossible to remove. I was able to remove the ones on the passenger grab bar by using an impact driver (the kind one hits with a hammer) and a #3 Philips head. I had to carefully beat on it first in one direction and then in the other. Finally it loosened enough that it came out, but only after 10 or so minutes.

The driver's side was for me a different story. The steering wheel prevented me from using the impact driver and, IIRC, my long #3 Philips screwdriver. Eventually I rounded out the head so I drilled the head and used a hardened easy-out. Bad choice, the easy-out broke right at the surface of the head. There is no way that I can see to drill out the easy-out or to otherwise remove that screw. Its head is below the surface and there is no room for an external bolt remover. I might be able to pay a mechanic $100 to remove it but that's not a-gonna happen.

If I had it to do over, I would buy a genuine JIS head of the appropriate size (#3, I think), remove the steering wheel, use my impact driver, and give it a try, hoping that I don't deform the A-frame (or B-frame - whatever).

 

It was a 10mm. It is hard to see. I am embarrassed, but I got the thing out. Both bolts, left and right both trucks. Phillips head, or the jap version do not turn it. A 10 mm deep well DID!

 

Welp, I stripped out my driver side grab handle too, using a JIS bit and an impact. Tried an extractor bit too, guess I’ll have to drill the head off and go ‘western’ on it.

 

You're lucky that your bolt heads have hex heads on them. The bolt heads in my truck are round.

 

There is such tight clearance, it was difficult for me to see. I figured that I had tried everything else, let me try 10mm. Get you a 6 sided deep well. Thats the trick.

 

They also have blue loctite from the factory, I stripped one of mine out when I originally tried to remove the handle.

 

I don't doubt it. It was crazy tight on mine. The inevitable happens, the slot slips out of the groove. (repeat, repeat) now you've ruined it by wallowing it out so no one can get it out. I hate phillips. Not made for high torque.
My hope is someone reading this in the future will put a 10mm socket to it. It doesn't look that way. It fooled me. But try the 10 before you get frustrated and give up.

 

It seems that the late-year trucks are more likely to have 10mm hex heads than round heads. IIRC, I just started with a 10mm socket and only used my screwdriver to spin it back in.