Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Screw removal trick

[JAshburne (JAshburne]

Charles
 
That is a great tip and can be very useful, as you point out, all around  
the house as well as with our cars!  I have never heard that tip  before.
 
Thanks for posting that!
 
John
 
 
In a message dated 12/14/2009 11:49:26 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
charles [at] carolina-sound.com writes:

Thought  I'd share a screw removal trick that I learned while trying to
fix the seat  track sensors on my 355 spider. The trick is courtesy of
mechanic Jeff  Carriker of Carriker's Automotive in NC who rebuilt my
sensors. It worked  so well in removing my seat tracks that I have used
it for many other tough  screw removals and it is a bit miraculous. I'm
sure you old wrenches  already know it, but for some of the budding
DIYers it might be as helpful  as I have found it.

In removing many screws, the screws are either so  tight, or old, or
subjected to heat or corrosion that you can't remove them  without
stripping them.

The hint Jeff gave me with the 355 seat  track bolts (which are allen
heads but this works especially well for  phillips heads) was to get a
little tube of valve grinding compound  (sometimes called valve lapping
compound) which is available at any auto  parts store for just a couple
of dollars. This is essentially an extremely  gritty water-based solution
that is used for polishing valves so that they  sit tightly to their
seats. However, if you put a little bit on the tip of  your screwdriver
or wrench, it gives the surfaces much stronger friction.  That way
instead of twisting out and reaming the head of the screw,  the
screwdriver or wrench gets traction and can actually transfer  the
torque.

Tonight I was trying to take a glass shower door off its  track. The
screws had been there since 1991 and in a wet environment and  the
screwdriver had no hope of removing them alone. A little dip in  the
valve grinding compound and I had all four screws off in seconds, and  in
a condition that they could be reused since their phillips heads had  not
been rounded in the removal process. It really is a terrific time  and
effort saver.

Maybe some of you guys who have been doing your  own work for a long time
can share other such tricks with the rest of the  group...

--  charles



_______________________________________________


Charles G Perry IV
Vice-President, Engineering

Carolina  Sound Communications - MuzaK
7630 Southrail Road, BLDG B
N. Charleston,  SC 29420 
(843) 571-4488          www.carolina-sound.com
<http://www.carolina-sound.com/>  
_______________________________________________


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