The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Rear diffrential set screw

Anybody else have a heck of a time removing the slot headed set screw in the rear diffrential? Mine is STUCK.....big time.

1950 suburban, all original

Are you referring to the screw that holds the pin in place between the spider gears.

Yes sir. I cannot get it to budge.

I don’t remember them being a slot head .thought they were a bolt head .I do know they as well as newer pins would break the heads off leaving the pin stuck in . It threads in about a quarter inch then is more like a pin ,the one I had trouble with was on a newer truck and it broke leaving one thread and the pin .I was lucky used a pic to turn it out while wiggling the axle to take the pressure off .Maybee someone put a regular screw in with locktite .The tuff ones at the shop I used to work at the guys cut the pin out with a torch and would have to use a new pin and lock .yours would also have the square block that the pin goes through making it difficult to cut with the toarch.

Hot rod.com has pictures of a 1950 355 gear swap shows the pin and yes it is a slotted screwdriver head have you tried a little heat in case there was some lock tite.

No loctite. I pulled this truck out of a field where it had been sitting since 1962.

Even if there's no loctite, a little heat should help loosen things up.

Plan A........Flat screw bit witha socket and ratchet

Plan B.......Sharp chisel and catch the edge to move the fastener in the loosening direction.

Plan C......https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_36882_36882?cm_mmc=Google-pla&utm_source=Google_PLA&utm_medium=Hand%20Tools%20%3E%20Screw%20%2B%20Nut%20Drivers&utm_campaign=GRIP&utm_content=15825&&gclid=CjwKCAjw9L_tBRBXEiwAOWVVCSWWAVolkcAISopU6ej6ZpUTvp0PL7bIJcAYn6MBuLvUArTKgIdxyxoCdRgQAvD_BwE

An alternative to Plan C is a battery impact driver. I had a need for one on my road trip and found a nice deal on a Dewalt 1/4" hex driver with 20 V battery. I picked up a set of bits at the same time.
Impact is a good thing.

Try a impact driver when you strike it won’t slip off and ruin the slot .You should have a little room to swing that hammer

Thanks fellas.

Plan A.....done

Plan B.....done

Plan C........up next

It's amazing how much beating I've done on that screw and the slot is still good. Must be hard stuff.

I would recommend the the impact driver and hammer. Try to get a driver that completely fills the slot. I have have made drivers from metal chisels that have the same hexagon shaft.

The older ones came with the slotted head. Ive gotten them out using the impact driver that you hit with a hammer. Then you cross your fingers & pray that it is not broken like
Stevinski described.

Good news... I got ot out after hearing it with a torch.

Now, my buddy has a 52 truck and his special bolt is a half inch bolt head instead of a slot! Looks like GM figured out how stupid it was to use a slot head. He gave me the bilt headed screw and I'm better off for next time. Thanks for the help fellas.