I screwed up:
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 163
Likes: 1
From: Port Allen Louisiana
I screwed up:
1980 Corvette. I laid 2 small interior screws up on the dash, about 1/4" long, kinda below the rear view mirror. Then I manged to knock them into the center air vent that is on top of the dash which is in the middle between the two dash speakers. I cannot see them even at night with a flash light. It looks like you can take the little grill off that is over the vent if I had to. I really don't need to get the screws out if they will not cause any harm. Would anyone know if the will? Would anyone know what would be the easy way to get them out if I needed to? From the bottom somewhere, etc etc.? Even if I tried with a magnet from the top I don't think I could reach them. Thanks for any help!!!
Pro
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 613
Likes: 11
From: EVANSVILLE Wisconsin
If it's really screwing with your mind knowing that those are rattling around in your HVAC ducts like it would me, then grab a flexible magnetic pick-up tool from the hardware store and fish em out. As the others said, there should be no issue with them interfering with any vent doors, etc.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 807
Likes: 2
From: VIRGINIA BEACH VIRGINIA
You should be able to pull your gauges out, and maybe try pushing one of the vent/diverter doors open and see if you can see it from there. There is nothing down in the ducts that can get hurt from the screws, the fan is out in the engine compartment and no way they will get out that far.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 6,001
Likes: 112
From: Saginaw Michigan
When working on a steering column in the car, here is a tip that I learned from some engineers at Saginaw. It would work for other minor vehicle interior repair sessions as well. I know that this is after-the-fact, but maybe is can help in the future:
Take a large towel and roll it up the long way. Leave a short tail. Stuff the towel up between the windshield and dash pad. Let the short tail hang over the instrument cluster forming a table. As you disassemble the column, place the small retainers, screws, plates, etc up on the towel from left to right in the order that you remove them. The towel forms a nice no-slip table and prevents the small parts from dropping down your defroster ducts and becoming a permanent part of your air distribution system. When you go to reassemble the column, your parts are all handy and in the correct order for reinstallation. Do this in conjunction with digital pictures!
Good luck,
Jim
Take a large towel and roll it up the long way. Leave a short tail. Stuff the towel up between the windshield and dash pad. Let the short tail hang over the instrument cluster forming a table. As you disassemble the column, place the small retainers, screws, plates, etc up on the towel from left to right in the order that you remove them. The towel forms a nice no-slip table and prevents the small parts from dropping down your defroster ducts and becoming a permanent part of your air distribution system. When you go to reassemble the column, your parts are all handy and in the correct order for reinstallation. Do this in conjunction with digital pictures!
Good luck,
Jim
Former Vendor
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 76,656
Likes: 1,851
From: Jeffersonville Indiana 812-288-7103
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
Unless the screws cause a problem I would leave them... unlike the 68-77 cars the huge duct in the middle can be a task to remove. Once you remove the center distribution duct you'll see a actuator door... your screws will probably be laying behind it. (assuming they made the journey from the the defroster duct.... They could also be in the very lower or middle duct as well.. But if everything is working fine I'd leave them unless they rattle.
Last edited by Willcox Corvette; Sep 16, 2012 at 10:29 AM.
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 172
Likes: 1
From: Concord North Carolina
When working on a steering column in the car, here is a tip that I learned from some engineers at Saginaw. It would work for other minor vehicle interior repair sessions as well. I know that this is after-the-fact, but maybe is can help in the future:
Take a large towel and roll it up the long way. Leave a short tail. Stuff the towel up between the windshield and dash pad. Let the short tail hang over the instrument cluster forming a table. As you disassemble the column, place the small retainers, screws, plates, etc up on the towel from left to right in the order that you remove them. The towel forms a nice no-slip table and prevents the small parts from dropping down your defroster ducts and becoming a permanent part of your air distribution system. When you go to reassemble the column, your parts are all handy and in the correct order for reinstallation. Do this in conjunction with digital pictures!
Good luck,
Jim
Take a large towel and roll it up the long way. Leave a short tail. Stuff the towel up between the windshield and dash pad. Let the short tail hang over the instrument cluster forming a table. As you disassemble the column, place the small retainers, screws, plates, etc up on the towel from left to right in the order that you remove them. The towel forms a nice no-slip table and prevents the small parts from dropping down your defroster ducts and becoming a permanent part of your air distribution system. When you go to reassemble the column, your parts are all handy and in the correct order for reinstallation. Do this in conjunction with digital pictures!
Good luck,
Jim
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