After driving my '04 LC for about 15 months I finally decided to pull the running boards. After reading some posts on here I got after it. I'm not the most mechanically inclined guy so forgive my lack of proper terminology. The total time was about an hour but I went in a little blind so it could be accomplished more quickly. As others have mentioned you just need a socket wrench set (see NOTE) and some shop glasses to keep the dirt out of your eyes.
1.) There are 4 L-shaped brackets (per side, scroll down for image) that attach to the body and the boards. The easiest removal of the running boards is to remove the 12mm bolts that attach the brackets to the body of your 100. On my first pass I mistakenly removed the 10mm bolts from the brackets that secure the running board. This will work but it is a waste of time unless you intend on keeping the brackets removed from the boards.
The before image:
This is the WRONG way (IMO)...
2.) You will remove seven total 12mm bolts per side of the vehicle and you will loosen two bolts on the top of the two center brackets. There is one bolt in the wheel well of the back portion of the front wheel well. See image below for a visual on the 4 brackets, the entire running board will slide off without removing those center bolts. Keep in mind you will want to replace all the bolts once the running board is out of the way.
The four brackets from the driver's side of my vehicle:
3.) NOTE: the top bolt on the rear bracket of both sides is quite difficult to remove due to the proximity to a body mount (?). I ended up using a very small socket wrench with a universal joint...
Here is what the passenger side looked like when removed properly...
The obligatory after shots:
4. Don't forget to replace those bolts!
Conclusion: I'm very happy with this modification. The truck instantly looked taller and more like an SUV and less like my family hauler (which is the truth).
I hope this helps.
1.) There are 4 L-shaped brackets (per side, scroll down for image) that attach to the body and the boards. The easiest removal of the running boards is to remove the 12mm bolts that attach the brackets to the body of your 100. On my first pass I mistakenly removed the 10mm bolts from the brackets that secure the running board. This will work but it is a waste of time unless you intend on keeping the brackets removed from the boards.
The before image:
This is the WRONG way (IMO)...
2.) You will remove seven total 12mm bolts per side of the vehicle and you will loosen two bolts on the top of the two center brackets. There is one bolt in the wheel well of the back portion of the front wheel well. See image below for a visual on the 4 brackets, the entire running board will slide off without removing those center bolts. Keep in mind you will want to replace all the bolts once the running board is out of the way.
The four brackets from the driver's side of my vehicle:
3.) NOTE: the top bolt on the rear bracket of both sides is quite difficult to remove due to the proximity to a body mount (?). I ended up using a very small socket wrench with a universal joint...
Here is what the passenger side looked like when removed properly...
The obligatory after shots:
4. Don't forget to replace those bolts!
Conclusion: I'm very happy with this modification. The truck instantly looked taller and more like an SUV and less like my family hauler (which is the truth).
I hope this helps.