Need stuckscrews help...please save me
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,009
Likes: 0
From: St. Charles MO.
Need stuckscrews help...please save me
So I refinished my rocker panels the other day, however the screws were so stuck in place neither my arm, nor drill could budge them. I ended up drilling about 3 of them out until the head of the screw popped off and I could get the panel off. Well now I need to put them back on and have a headless screw sticking out of the car. Any ideas or tricks to get the originals out?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,137
Likes: 51
From: Cartersville GA
Get some Nuts Off spray and spray them, let them soak, and do it a few times. Tap on the end of the screw with a small hammer (light taps) between soakings to help get the stuff in the threads. Then get some locking pliers, clamp on to what's left of the screw and CAREFULLY unscrew. Take your time.
If that doesn't work, trim the screws flush to the surface (dremel cut off wheel should work great), then drill out the screw. Be sure to use a drill the diameter of the INSIDE of the threads, not the OUTSIDE of the threads. Also, you will probably want to put a dimple in the end of the screw with a nail set to keep the drill from wandering at the start. Once you have drilled them out, use a tap that matches the original thread size and carefully tap out the hole.
Good luck, be patient and you can "git-r-done!"
If that doesn't work, trim the screws flush to the surface (dremel cut off wheel should work great), then drill out the screw. Be sure to use a drill the diameter of the INSIDE of the threads, not the OUTSIDE of the threads. Also, you will probably want to put a dimple in the end of the screw with a nail set to keep the drill from wandering at the start. Once you have drilled them out, use a tap that matches the original thread size and carefully tap out the hole.
Good luck, be patient and you can "git-r-done!"
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,154
Likes: 1
From: St Augustine FL
I drilled all of mine out. I replaced them with OEM screws and instead of tapping them I just put a nut on the back of them with a lock washer. I think they are threaded 8/32 but im not sure. Took me about an 1 hour to do the reinstallation.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 2,008
Likes: 38
From: Space Coast Gator Territory
This is another option offered by Ecklers.
Cost about $16.
Of course, you could just use a nut on the back after drilling out the screw, as already suggested. You could epoxy the nut on the back side to keep from losing it. Yes, there is plenty of room on the back side to work it. Put some anti-seize on the screws before replacing them.
Cost about $16.Of course, you could just use a nut on the back after drilling out the screw, as already suggested. You could epoxy the nut on the back side to keep from losing it. Yes, there is plenty of room on the back side to work it. Put some anti-seize on the screws before replacing them.
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,047
Likes: 12
From: SoCal
That's what I did, except I didn't paint the new screws - they're stainless, so they won't rust, and they look good (IMHO).And that $16 kit from Ecklers? ROFLMAO - should cost you about $3 at your local Ace Hardware (or Home Depot, or Lowes, or ...).
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
He's got the right idea. This is actually an improvement over the original design while keeping the initial design intent. I've replaced a couple of the more damaged T-nuts with this method and it works great.