Removing Alpine Bar

[jbird]

Can someone please explain to me how to remove my Alpine bar. The one currently on my D90 is damaged and I am going to replace it with a new one (a new one came with my car when I purchased it), but the problem is that I have not been able to remove the current bar. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Mike Hippert]

Remind me whats the alpine bar? Is it the one in the back that lifts up to come out (no bolts) or the one that goes across the top of the windshield that has 4 bolts holding it in from the bottom that you can get to by removing the visor bolts?

[jbird]

It is the one in the back that does not seem to have any bolts holding it in.

[howellm70]

It should just pull right out....give it a good yank with hands on either end of the bar.

[Trevor Tarr]

I've always had trouble getting mine out. One trick seems to be pushing down in the middle of the bar while pushing up on the ends. Three arms would be handy....

[Mike Hippert]

Mine pops right out, try a dead blow hammer.

[WCURoverD90]

Mine comes out with a rubber mallet...just takes a good hit once and pops right out.....

[kiphartzell]

Resurrecting and old post.....

My '95 D90 ST has had a Badger half-cab installed on it for a number of years and has been in quite a bit of rain. The last time I tried to remove the alpine bar it was completely seized (ugh, rusted!?!) even with some significant persuasion from a rubber mallet.... I tried some penetrating spray (over several days), but could not get the ends to pop out. Since heat is not a good option for the surrounding rubber, any suggestions to getting the studs out of the cantrails?

[evilfij]

drill out the rivits and then get a pipe wrench on the plug.

[kiphartzell]

Good idea.... I tried something similar to this: I drilled out the rivets and put a hardened steel bar through the rivet hole to remove the stud..... Neither stud budged with both a twisting force or upward force. I was reluctant to use a pipe wrench since it would munge the remaining studs. I still need to use the alpine bar with my surrey top and now use s/s bolts to re-attach the bar itself, when needed.

[TDI Guy]

I used a Big F*&^^ Hammer