In a message dated 5/11/99 3:45:39 PM EST, eyates@enteract.com writes:
>
> My '78 Spitfire has a problem with her plastic steering column covers (the
> two pieces that surround the column behind the steering wheel).
>
> I tried to take this cover off the other day and discovered that the two
> screws that hold the halves together were mismatched. One of them is
> correct, the other is a wrong screw that someone had simply forced into
> place, stripping the hell out of the plastic threads in the top piece I'm
> sure. The wrong screw will not come out, and as you know, it is not
> something I can grab with pliers or anything because it is so deeply
> recessed in the bottom half of the cover.
>
The screw doesn't thread into the plastic. It threads into a metal insert.
If
overtightened the insert will spin in its plastic holder. Once that happens,
and assuming that your "new" threads are enough of a mismatch to
resist easy removal, the metal insert will just continue to spin instead of
unscrewing. Been there and done that. The "solution" a la Greg is to
remove the good screw and then gently pry the two pieces apart while
turning the bad screw. Either the pressure of the prying will hold the
insert in place so that the screw can be removed or the turning action
will completely remove the metal insert from the top plastic piece. Then
you can grip it with pliers to remove, retap the threads and glue it back
into the plastic piece.
> <snipping>
>
> And as a follow-up question, why in the world would someone knowingly take
> the wrong screw and be so damn lazy as to simply force it into place,
> probably destroying a larger piece of the car in doing so?
Yeah, well I won't do it again! (See above - "been there, done that") :)
-Greg (finally named his cars)
78 Spit "Ol' Sparky"
72 Spit "Rusty"
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