How is stainless strip attached to hood on M-series trucks?

[kurtruk]

Or more accurately: How are the studs poking through the underside of the hood attached to the stainless strip. I found a rusty M-series hood with good stainless. The nuts are really rusty, as is everything else. Are the studs spot-welded to the stainless, or is there some kind of fastener/clip that the studs screw into? I used a Dremel tool to partially grind through the nuts on two sides. I didn't want to cut into the studs if that's all there will be attached to the stainless strip. Thought the nuts would then break off of their studs. I tried two and both studs ended up turning.

[61LaRk4dr]

I will have to check on my M5, but I believe that they are clips with studs on them. The clips ride along the flange on both sides of the strip. IIRC when I install the strip on mine they were free to slide along the flanges so I had to slide the clips into position for the holes in the hood. I am not sure if they were suppose to be free sliding like that. Most likely the small weld broke over time, allowing the clips to slide.

[altair]

I think you can cut them off with your Dremel and slide the clips off the ends and replace them with new ones. I have a chrome strip on the side of my 54 and I made my own clips. I used a few nickles (they won't rust) and filed them to fit, drilled and tapped a hole in the nickel, threaded a 10-32 screw through it then slide the nickel into position to fit the holes in your hood.