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RONIN10 Samba Member
Joined: April 30, 2007 Posts: 594 Location: Seattle, WA
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Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 5:12 pm Post subject: Torsion Arm Set Screw Frozen |
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So I'm in the midst of disassembling the beam in my 69 and was able to remove all the set screws in the torsion arms except for the one on the driver's side lower arm. I discovered that he internal hex on the screw was already mostly stripped out. I've tried drowning the screw with penetrating oil (letting it sit for two days with one or two additional applications), but no matter what the 8 mm allen wrench won't keep a hold on it. I've even gone so far as to resign myself to sacrificing the screw by clamping vice grips on the exposed threads, but with no success.
Anyone have any other suggestions or am I stuck drilling it out? _________________ Andrew
Oscar: 1976 Westfalia Deluxe Camper, 2.0L FI, Manual Transaxle |
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miller0358 Samba Member
Joined: November 07, 2007 Posts: 1200 Location: northford,ct
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Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 5:36 pm Post subject: screw |
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Try heating it |
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benstouffer Samba Member
Joined: September 14, 2008 Posts: 27 Location: Stuart, Iowa
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Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 6:03 pm Post subject: |
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Often if there is a little screw showing I use my mig welder and weld a small bolt onto it. This heats it up enough to let it break loose and gives me something to put a wrench on. |
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69 Jim Samba Member
Joined: September 27, 2004 Posts: 6265 Location: Chickengeorge's Neighbor
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Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 6:25 pm Post subject: Re: screw |
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miller0358 wrote: |
Try heating it |
x2
Works every time. |
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RONIN10 Samba Member
Joined: April 30, 2007 Posts: 594 Location: Seattle, WA
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Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 8:45 pm Post subject: |
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I tried some heat via a heat gun for 2-3 minutes, but that didn't do anything. I'll go ahead and try a longer timeframe and see what happens. As always, the failing is the inability of the allen wrench to hold. Maybe I'll have to see if I can get it welded in place, sacrificing the wrench and the bolt.
First things first, though. More heat. _________________ Andrew
Oscar: 1976 Westfalia Deluxe Camper, 2.0L FI, Manual Transaxle |
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69 Jim Samba Member
Joined: September 27, 2004 Posts: 6265 Location: Chickengeorge's Neighbor
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Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2008 8:49 pm Post subject: |
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RONIN10 wrote: |
I tried some heat via a heat gun for 2-3 minutes, but that didn't do anything. I'll go ahead and try a longer timeframe and see what happens. As always, the failing is the inability of the allen wrench to hold. Maybe I'll have to see if I can get it welded in place, sacrificing the wrench and the bolt.
First things first, though. More heat. |
You need to use a torch, propane at the least. The idea is to concentrate the heat source on the screw itself. A hair dryer just won't do it. Let it get RED hot. |
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drscope Samba Member
Joined: February 19, 2007 Posts: 15273 Location: Baltimore, Maryland USA
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Posted: Fri Nov 07, 2008 7:35 am Post subject: |
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A heat gun don't make heat. It makes warm.
You have a BIG GIANT heat sink taking away what little heat your heat gun puts out.
You need HEET! As in FIRE. A propane torch to start with (about $20 at your local hardware store)
But at this point, if you weld a nut to it, it will come right out. But you need a welder for that. _________________ Mother Nature is a Mean Evil Bitch! |
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RONIN10 Samba Member
Joined: April 30, 2007 Posts: 594 Location: Seattle, WA
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Posted: Mon Nov 10, 2008 11:44 am Post subject: |
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I wasn't sure if the heat gun could produce enough heat, but I had one so I thought I'd try that before shelling out money for a torch. Long story short, didn't work so I went and bought a torch. That didn't work either, so I stepped away from it for a day or so and came back to work on it yesterday afternoon and realized (with the better light) that there was a minute, hard to see pebble (covered in muck) in the bottom of the socket. This was preventing my allen wrench from fully seating inside the screw and confining it to the tapering lip of the socket where it would spin freely and not catch. Cleaned it out and was able to crank it loose.
Call me the village idiot.
That's a rhetorical statement. _________________ Andrew
Oscar: 1976 Westfalia Deluxe Camper, 2.0L FI, Manual Transaxle |
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