landau bars

[jason_sps]

Ok, I am trying to redo the top of my car and I am having an extremely hard time getting the landau bars off. Is there a trick to this or am I really gonna have to cut these things off?

[northgahearse]

details what kinda coach is it ?

[spastic_chicken]

They will be bolted to the side usually at both ends of the landau, sometimes in the middle too, depending on the coachmaker. On my Superior, the landau ends unscrew, and there are bolts behind them.

[jason_sps]

The car is a 1975 Cadillac Miller Meteor coach. The "bolts" are at the end of the bars on the inside of the car. I say "bolts" because they are rounded off instead of a hex shape like a normal bolt. I have tried applying heat and some PB blaster.

[spastic_chicken]

Take the interior panel apart behind them. There is probably a nut. You may need to have someone hold the landau from the outside as you loosen them.

[Scary Guy]

Some bars have a disk in the middle you have to take out to get to the nut, as was the case on my old one. On my new one you unscrew the end and the bolt is welded or fitted into the end and the nut is affixed to the body.

Pictures might help us a bit.

[jason_sps]

I will try to get pictures of it up tomorrow. The nut you are refurring to is fitted onto the bolt and is round instead of hex shaped like a normal nut

[Abnorml]

I don't know how much different a 75 MM is from a 73 MM. I have a 73 and all you have to do is unscrew the round piece on the end of the bars. The nut is made into the top.

[spastic_chicken]

Sounds like he's looking at the back end of a carriage bolt..

[jason_sps]

This is the "bolt" I was talking about

[DEATH ZEPPELIN]

the knob unscrews from the other side. some vice grips or a crescent wrench should be able to fit on the inside of the knob for some traction.

[jason_sps]

Unfortunately, those bolts are so old that I am going to have to cut them off. I had a friend inside the car and I tried turning the outside and it still wouldn't turn. The top bolt is hidden behind the frame and so i'm gonna get a circle grinder in there and then tap a screw back into it. I will make it work. It just sucks I have to go to these extremes

[spastic_chicken]

NO! The back end of the bolt is INSIDE the car!
No need to cut it out or do anything drastic. Take your interior panels out.

Unless someone welded it, but I doubt it.

[jason_sps]

The panels ARE out of the car. That's how I was able to take the picture of the bolt. I've tried PB blaster and two guys to try to turn this thing. No dice. I gotta go to extreme measures to get this top done before it snows here. I will deal with the bars later. It shouldn't be too big of a project.

[DEATH ZEPPELIN]

The panels ARE out of the car. That's how I was able to take the picture of the bolt. I've tried PB blaster and two guys to try to turn this thing. No dice. I gotta go to extreme measures to get this top done before it snows here. I will deal with the bars later. It shouldn't be too big of a project.

If your handy with a cutoff wheel you can cut off the nut from inside and just weld another one in place to save the bars. A couple of slices and you should be able to pry it loose enough to remove the bolts.