body and interior Frozen Side Mirror Mount Screw !!

[7502]

This is really starting to get under my skin me. Drivers side side view mirror on my '75 has been a bit a bit loose or floppy to the door mount ever since I picked up the car last month. Having bigger, mostly electrical problems I never spent much time on it until recently.  I've tried squirting penetrating oil on the set screw over the weekend but I simply can't get that screw to back out one bit. So far I have avoided damaging the screw (or door) but for the life of me that thing is really stuck. I can still get a good bite on it with a flat blade screwdriver but the way I'm going things might turn ugly as I keep working on it. Does anybody have any tricks or experience with this particular screw before I consider my hand held impact wrench.... bad idea. I did have success removing the passenger side mirror w/out too much difficulty.  Thanks.

[Guy Cocquyt]

gently tap the end of your screw driver with a hammer as you turn it, that should break the rust weld.

Sent from my SM-T110 using Tapatalk

[zinz]

Soak it with penetrating oil like PB Blaster.  While it's soaking, tap it with a screwdriver and small hammer; this will help the oil seep into the threads.  Let it sit overnight.  Gently tap the end of the screwdriver while trying to back the screw out.  The screw and the mirror frame are dissimilar metals and tend to bind together over time due to oxidation.  Don't hit it too hard or you will likely break the mount underneath the mirror.

 

Ed

 

[7502]

Good ideas, heading out to the garage!

[PaulTWinterton]

ALSO: Hair-dryer set on the hottest setting.  Get the screw area good and hot. 

 

Assuming you get the screw out, the reason the mirror flops around is two-fold.  The gasket gets squashed and doesn't do it's job and the holes in the sheet-metal get distorted outward from constant torqueing of the mirror base.  Use a block of wood as a buffer and gently tap the metal down until it is flush.  Makes a world of difference.

 

Try not to lose your blind nuts in the door.  They are NLA and difficult to replace.

[Mike Self]

And...instead of replacing the set screw with a flat-blade screw, take yourself down to your local hardware store with the old screw and buy a (preferably stainless steel) allen-head set screw.  Stainless so it won't rust, and allen head to get more torque both to fasten and to loosen.  

 

Worked for me.

 

mike

[Son of Marty]

If you don't get the screw out easily you might want to tape a piece of cardboard on the door to protect it from hammers and screw drivers and other implements of destruction that close to the paint, don't ask me how I know this trick honestly it was the next thing I was going to do before disaster struck Remember what the famous 20th century philosopher and inventor of the seed drill Jethro Tull said "avoid disaster" really it's good advice.

Edited September 19, 2016 by Son of Marty

[7502]

Still no luck, only thing I've done is bung up the slot a little bit. No hairdryer around, but I did try to heat up the screw a bit w/ a 30 W soldering iron. So far the paint has remained pretty much unscathed. I definitely will need a new gasket if I ever get this bloody thing off. I like to follow the Hippocratic oath when dealing with situations like this, and do not harm, but I'm on the verge of breaking that one too. .

['76mintgrün'02]

My car has the same problems, loose mirror and tight set screw.

I did try a battery powered impact, after oil, but to no avail.  No damage yet....

I have approached this at least half a dozen times.

Time to try a small hammer.  Thanks for the tip.  

Hoping to break it free and  try Paul's block of wood trick to tighten it up.

 

[mbaum.collects@gmail.com]

I drilled it out and re tapped it with Allen head stainless set screw and new gasket

[PaulTWinterton]

The hair dryer method has worked for me on various minor fittings.  Much like a blowtorch on large studs or bolts.

 

I used it to remove a tight oil filter that was only distorting by all other means.

[7502]

Folding up shop for the day, I think I'll have to drill the bastard out and re-tap. Oh well, I gave it the college try. It wouldn't  be fun if it was easy.