Steve, thanks for the warning. I imagine those plastic studs would be hard if not impossible to come by. I will be cautious. I downloaded the 95 Dakota service manual which appears to be the closest to the 93 and it gives the removal instructions for the trim piece.

Don

 

Don
I had forgotten my headliner was out so when I went out today (0 outside at that time) I glanced up and those were still visible. They are not plastic studs, they are metal, so you won't have that problem. Looks like a 3/8" nut with an attached washer.

They won't give you any problem I wouldn't think, unless they're stuck and the stud starts spinning.

Glad I looked earlier, it's -11 outside now and supposed to drop to -20 before it starts to warm....a bit.

Steve A

 

Depending on how much work you're looking to do - you may want to have that area prepped, sealed with weld-through primer, remove that stud, and have it welded and smoothed to the rest of the truck. Then spray some more primer through the hole with the headliner out to seal the inside against rusting through. Then paint.

Or you might not.

RwP

 

RwP, that's not a bad idea but is a bit more work than I need. While the roof shows a lot of surface rust, there is no rust thru anywhere on this Texas truck. I am intending to fully sand, neutralize, prime and paint all that. Rest of the body is getting the same treatment although it is not near as bad as the roof which was the first to start blistering and pealing. Thanks to everyone for your help.
Don