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Stuck/rusted screws in plastic roof pillar? #1228143
05/06/12 09:03 PM
05/06/12 09:03 PM
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,862
the frozen wastes...
Pale_Roader Offline OP
Swears too much
Pale_Roader  Offline OP
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the frozen wastes...

Figures, the ONE decent piece in the car's interior, is held in with stubborn screws. The last piece to come out so i can pull the headliner and start cleaning up, and i cant get them out. Tried smacking them with a hammer on the end ov a screwdriver, that usually jars things and fixes the stripped 'X' a bit, not this time.

Cant get any fluids to the actual screw, and might that mess up my plastic as well?

How do i get this thing off?

Thought ov slotting the screw head with a Dremel and flat-blading it out, but i dont have one anymore.

Re: Stuck/rusted screws in plastic roof pillar? [Re: Pale_Roader] #1228144
05/06/12 10:47 PM
05/06/12 10:47 PM
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 95
Ohio
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ralphie361 Offline
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ralphie361  Offline
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Ohio
You could very carefully drill the heads off with a bit the same size, or try a left handed drill bit, it might walk them out. Then you will just have studs left over to take out with vice grips after the plastic trim is out of the way.

Re: Stuck/rusted screws in plastic roof pillar? [Re: ralphie361] #1228145
05/06/12 11:08 PM
05/06/12 11:08 PM
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,653
Near Reading PA USA
pinkduster Offline
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pinkduster  Offline
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Near Reading PA USA
First of all, you should be using the best screw driver that you can get your hands on. A brand new one would be the best choice.

You've already tried tapping the screw driver with a hammer and that USUALLY works for stubborn screws. I've also found that if you try to actually tighten the screw, sometimes they will break free in that direction, then you can loosen the screw.

Re: Stuck/rusted screws in plastic roof pillar? [Re: pinkduster] #1228146
05/06/12 11:17 PM
05/06/12 11:17 PM
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,389
Asheboro NC
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mopowertim Offline
super gas
mopowertim  Offline
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Posts: 1,389
Asheboro NC
If you can find an acess hole anywhere near the screw, use a piece of vacumn hose to snake into the back side of the screw , slide it over your red wd 40 tube and load it up from the back side... a good sharp screwdriver, and try different ones- sometimes one will grab for no reason where another won't and turn it. That or drill through the screw. The tightening trick works alot too.


If you can't outrun it-Outlaw it! The King
Re: Stuck/rusted screws in plastic roof pillar? [Re: mopowertim] #1228147
05/07/12 12:04 AM
05/07/12 12:04 AM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 42,714
Spokane Washington
ScottSmith_Harms Offline
Mr Wizzard
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Mr Wizzard

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Posts: 42,714
Spokane Washington
These work REALLY well at getting stripped screws out Getzit

Re: Stuck/rusted screws in plastic roof pillar? [Re: ScottSmith_Harms] #1228148
05/07/12 12:57 AM
05/07/12 12:57 AM
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,862
the frozen wastes...
Pale_Roader Offline OP
Swears too much
Pale_Roader  Offline OP
Swears too much

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Posts: 4,862
the frozen wastes...
Quote:

These work REALLY well at getting stripped screws out Getzit




Mothers Day gifts...??? You're the expert, but i cant see how that would help... haha

(linky no worky)

As for the drill, the only good one i have now is pretty big. The upper screw would be accessible, but not the lower. I do have a very nice electric die-grinder though, and i've ground heads off screws with that before. I was hoping there'd be an easier way. Gonna be sketchy though... that thing likes to skip around when its meeting head-on.

I also have crap for screwdrivers, though i use my best where i can. The screws are just oddly scaly with rust. The rest ov the int is pretty clean, but for some reason the chrome screw heads rusted, and pretty badly. The upper screw is completely stripped, and it took very little to do that. The lower one is still somewhat intact, but i cant access it with a good screwdriver... maybe if the windshield was out, but its not.

No access to worm any fluids behind either.


Like i've said many times before in other posts, with what i have to work with tools/space-wise, i really have no place tackling a project like this right now... but i'm desperate and need a car.

Re: Stuck/rusted screws in plastic roof pillar? [Re: Pale_Roader] #1228149
05/07/12 12:58 AM
05/07/12 12:58 AM
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,862
the frozen wastes...
Pale_Roader Offline OP
Swears too much
Pale_Roader  Offline OP
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the frozen wastes...

By the way, this is a 70 Challenger if that helps visualize the problem.

Re: Stuck/rusted screws in plastic roof pillar? [Re: Pale_Roader] #1228150
05/08/12 04:13 AM
05/08/12 04:13 AM
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,862
the frozen wastes...
Pale_Roader Offline OP
Swears too much
Pale_Roader  Offline OP
Swears too much

Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 4,862
the frozen wastes...
Well i had to die-grind the head off the accessible screw, and didn't end up butchering the pillar molding too bad... I cant have anything nice. I doubt there was another way, that sucker was IN there... welded. Even with the big vice grips it fought me to the last thread.

The hard to get one actually ended coming out with a screwdriver. Thanks to mopowertim for the tip... i tried 6 different screwdrivers and one ov my older uglier ones ended up grabbing it perfectly. Who woulda thought? Helps that the screw was still somewhat intact... the upper one was all rust.

So then ov course taking them off (verrrrrry carefully...) it was the one that unscrewed nicely and pulled off nicely that broke in my hands... cracks here, cracks there... Thats the price ov a clean desert body i guess... destroyed soft parts and brittle as hell plastics...

No rust surprises under anything though! a shocker. And after looking at that dent in the roof for 12 years i FINALLY got to pop it out. Hah!!!







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