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Car Forum / Mazda / Mazda Miata / December 2004How to remove screw from hardtop?
I had to remove the front latches from my hardtop so I could replace the plastic "bullet points" that seat into the plates at the top of the windshield. One of the latches came off and went back on without a struggle, but the other was almost impossible to remove. Two of the three screws just barely came out w/o destroying anything, but the head of the third screw twisted off. I drilled into the shaft of the screw and got an ez-out to grab, but the ez-out snapped before the screw would budge. I tried to drill out the ez-out, but it's too hard. I supposed I could try a titanium bit. Anybody have any suggestions on how to get the screw with embedded ez-out out? Both the screw and the ez-out are broken off below the surface. The metal bracket in which the screw is broken off is totally enclosed in plastic, and there doesn't appear to be any way to get at it directly.  SignatureGrant Edwards grante Yow! I'm having an at emotional outburst!! visi.com Ouch! I have no idea except a titanium bit. How far uder the surface are things? Phil > I had to remove the front latches from my hardtop so I could > replace the plastic "bullet points" that seat into the plates [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > at emotional outburst!! > visi.com > Ouch! I have no idea except a titanium bit. How far uder the surface > are things? There's a plastic piece with a hole in it, a space, and under that there's the metal bracket. The screw is broken off above the steel but below the plastic. The ez-out is down inside the screw about flush with the steel. | | | | | | | | +-+ | | +--+ ============ = screw ZZZZZ==== ============ Z ez-out +--+ +-+ | | | | | | | | | | Plastic Steel SignatureGrant Edwards grante Yow! Hey!! Let's watch at the' ELEVATOR go UP and visi.com DOWN at th' HILTON HOTEL!! >> Ouch! I have no idea except a titanium bit. How far uder the surface >> are things? [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > > Plastic Steel How about drilling a precise hole in an round metal bar and then epoxying it on the outside of the screw? Of course, since the screw was apparently tight enough in there to break (1) the head of the screw; (2) the EZ; that may not be enough. I guess you could use heated aluminum and a slightly too small hole to get a bit more of an edge. And/or maybe drill the hole farther in and use a clamp on it outside the plastic. Or make the hole *slightly* conical and hammer it on in addition to the epoxy. I believe there is another glue that might be a candidate, but I cannot remember the name. Anyway, trying a harder drill might be easier anyway. :) Leon SignatureLeon van Dommelen :) Bozo, the White 96 Sebring Miata .) rammm@dommelen.net http://www.dommelen.net/miata EXIT THE INTERSTATES (Jamie Jensen) You may be able to grind it out with a Dremel if you can get one of the diamond tipped bits. > Ouch! I have no idea except a titanium bit. How far uder the surface > are things? [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > outburst!! >> visi.com > You may be able to grind it out with a Dremel if you can get > one of the diamond tipped bits. I plan on shopping for Dremel bits tomorrow. There are some pretty small grinding stone bits available too, but it might take quite a few of them. I think the correct answer may have been to heat up the screw to release the thread-locking stuff. For future reference, when you do that, do you have to remove the screw while it's still hot, or once it cools will it still be released? In this case I can't get at the bracket at all, so heating just the screw seems like it might cause it to expand and bind up as well. Of course the broken one couldn't be on the side with two screws... SignatureGrant Edwards grante Yow! I wonder if I should at put myself in ESCROW!! visi.com The problem with heat is the surrounding plastic and paint. It usually takes serious heat to loosen things up. The thread lock may actually be rust on the part of the screw that was exposed on the inside of the windshield frame or top frame. I have the same problem with some of the latch screws on a hardtop, although I have not broken an easy out. I suspect that one of these days I will soak the therads in some sort of "bolt eze" and then get serious about removing them. At the moment two of the four screw on each latch are tight, and two on one latch are in a frozen state. I originally just wanted to loosen them enough to adjust the latches. The screws froze in a "loose latch" position. Bother! A possibility for a heat source might be a soldering gun with a small tip (Filed down tip) >> You may be able to grind it out with a Dremel if you can get >> one of the diamond tipped bits. [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > Of course the broken one couldn't be on the side with two > screws... > The problem with heat is the surrounding plastic and paint. Yup -- that's why I didn't think of trying it. > It usually takes serious heat to loosen things up. The thread > lock may actually be rust on the part of the screw that was > exposed on the inside of the windshield frame or top frame. The replacement screws that came with the retrofit kit had an orange coating on the threads, and it looks like the original ones had the same stuff on them. > Bother! That wasn't quite the word I used... > A possibility for a heat source might be a soldering gun with > a small tip (Filed down tip) The current plan is to try to drill out the ez-out with a cobalt drill bit. If that doesn't work, it's Dremel time. SignatureGrant Edwards grante Yow! I'm having an at emotional outburst!! visi.com |
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