How can I pull this without anger and excessive cursing and broken plastic?

 

Warm it up a bit with a hair dryer first, the you just squeeze top and bottom a little bit, and it pull straight out.

 

Basically echoing what HeyYou said, but I didn't even have to heat mine. Honestly, I took it off so long ago, I don't remember how much trouble it was, I just remember getting under it with a small pry bar and popping it loose. I may have been doing other stuff at the same time giving me more access to it than you appear to have, but I really don't remember. I do know the heat from a hair dryer works wonders for putting them back in though lol had to help a friend reinstall his prior to selling.

 

Thank you all!

 

The hair dryer is just a precaution. The plastic gets hard, and brittle, over time... warming it up a bit makes it more pliable.

 

For reinstallation, a little dielectric grease around the plastic where it goes in the fender will let it pop right in.

No cussing needed.

 

This was absurdly easy yesterday. I just barely pushed down on the top and it released. I can't believe I've never done this in all my years of working on these trucks! Thanks again!

 

That's how us olde phartes know so much. We've been baffled many times over the years.

This reminds me of the "Far Side" cartoon from years ago. A kid with books under his arm is pushing for all he's worth on the door to the Midville School for the Gifted. It has a sign that says "Pull" on the door he's pushing on.

 

^^^^ I remember that cartoon well.