I need to take the wiper door off my 69 to do some work underneath. The first bolt, steel in aluminum, broke so easily that it scared me. I know others have had this problem. Can't use heat because of the paint. Have been spraying PB Blaster in the outside holes for a while. Any trick to getting these out? Thanks for any suggestions.
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Re: 69 Winshield Wiper Door
Hi John:
In a word , no, the dissimilar metal problem, Galvanic corrosion, has taken it's tool here and any "tricks" are those which apply to any bolt in the same circumstances. As the holes are "blind" and the bolts small, soaking with a good penetrating oil, tapping the bolt head and carefully attempting to remove it are the only methods available that I know of. Good Luck.
jerry -
Re: 69 Winshield Wiper Door
Jerry and John-----
I agree. The dissimilar metal problem can be a "very tough nut to crack". Especially for a component like the windshield wiper door mechanism which is exposed to considerable "electrolyte"(i.e. rainwater and road splash).
The fact that the wiper door mechanism is so fragile further aggrevates the impact of the corrosion problem.In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Re: 69 Winshield Wiper Door
I had the same problem on a 71 many years ago. After the first bolt broke, I soaked the other bolts regularly for a week with something like wd40, or penetrating oil, or whatever.
I went back to them after a week and promptly broke off two more bolts. I figured nothing to loose here so I went after the last bolt. I actually came out. Now I had the cover in my hands. I drilled and tapped the three holes with the broken bolts (did not bother with a easy out, since I knew it would not be), chased the threads of the one good hole, bought 4 new bolts and nylon bushings from Chevrolet, and put it all back together.
It took a while, but I did not mess up the paint, the repair was undetectible, and everything worked fine.Comment
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