The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk What size clutch head screw?

Hi everyone!!! I am about to replace the door glass on my 1950 Chev 1/2 ton. What size is the clutch head screws that are in the rail that the regulator rolls in? I need to purchase the screwdriver and don’t know what size they are. I tried to grind an old flat head screwdriver to fit, but it didn’t quite work and I really don’t want to strip the heads. Thanks for any replies given, Darcy

darcy32171 Those screwdrivers come in a set that you get at Jim Carter truck parts or other vendors. Finding single screwdrivers is just by chance,I have several I have just picked up over the years. The set made for Advanced design truck people should have what you need in it. Good Luck !!

Buy a set with assorted sizes. You'll need more than just that one size. Here's a couple options.
Clutch head set for ratchet handle
Clutch head screwdriver set
I also have a set that fits in a 1/4" impact driver for those really stubborn ones. Light impact can help get the rusted ones out.
52Carl built a tool that uses an air hammer and a lever to loosen the stubborn ones.

I always wondered about this ... but HERE is an old Tech Tip called:



Does this help???

Also, putting the screwdriver in the screw (the right one, not just any one!) and tapping on the end of the screwdriver a few times with a hammer can help break any rust up and help them come out easier. That and penetrating oil!!

When I started I bought every kind I could find. Socket and hex. Long and short. Don't waste your time with cheep ones. I found that the most important thing is to clean out the socket as best as possible. A sharp scribe and a stainless brush on a dremel work good for me. The hex ones work good in a cordless impact or an air hammer with the cool hex attachment handle thingy. You can buy any handle to put the hex bits in. JMHO.

I’ve been soaking these for about a month now.😂

Thank you! Just bought the set for the ratchet. Should arrive by the end of the month

Soaking with what?

...sometimes it helps to try tighten a little then loosen them.
Soak with sili-kroil. Little pricey but cheap compared to what it saves you. See you around the garage forums.

A 50:50 mix of acetone and automatic transmission fluid works very well too. None of the penetrating oils I’ve tried have worked as well or as fast.

The above 50:50 mix works wonders.

The assorted sizes is the way to go, very handy.

-Woog

How do you actually get it to mix? I have tried to make the mixture and as soon as I stop stirring it the two separate again.

How do you actually get it to mix? I have tried to make the mixture and as soon as I stop stirring it the two separate again.[/quote]

I’ve not had that problem. Plain ordinary NAPA auto supply automatic transmission fluid and acetone brought at a local hardware store have been used. I mix and keep it in a small glass jar with a lid. An old baby food jar was handy, so it was used.

The ATF is the real stuff, not a synthetic blend. Could that be a factor? Another might be the vessel used to mix and store? My guess is at least some plastics might react to some of those?

That's weird. I just mixed up a batch on Saturday to loosen some badly rusted bolts holding my mom's cast iron patio umbrella stand together.

It mixed up just fine like it always does. I wonder if different ATF makes a difference? I used Type F on Saturday but I usually have Dexron around here and they both do fine.

I had a random bottle of ATF that didn't match any of my vehicles, so I have been using that. I am not entirely sure what kind it is.

I will get some plain-jane stuff and try again.

That's funny. I can't imagine what would be in ATF that would react differently. The guys at my AAMCO place told me there is virtually no difference in fluids that the transmission is going to notice.

Interestingly, Ford and Cadillac both used Type A fluid in the 1950s and 1960s.

When Type A fluid was more or less discontinued, Cadillac went to Dexron and Ford went to Type F. Yet, today, you won't get any Cadillac people to put Type F in a Hydramatic transmission or a Ford guy to use Dexron in a C-4. Why not? They both were originally designed to use the same fluid, Type A.

AAMCO dude told me they use Mercon V in virtually all their rebuilds.

And how about the old timers who said that no automatic transmission ever shifted right after 1972 when whale oil was banned as a friction modifier!

I use Parts Master’s DEX / MERC ATF, along with some acetone, 50/50. Here’s a sample which I shooked the bottle a couple hours ago. Never had a problem with it separating. Of course if you happen to have a can of Pentron hiding up in your auto cabinet.......

This thread has gotten way off track.

I have to agree with Justhorsenround.

Since “Darcy” hasn’t come back to post since the change in the discussion to what to use for dealing with seized hardware, I think this thread has run its course.

Leaving the thread open for Darcy to come back and let us know how the clutch head drivers helped with removal. Anything posted unrelated to the clutch head drivers/tools will force me to lock the thread.

Appreciate everyone’s understanding.

Dan

Sorry for the distraction. Back to the subject....As suggested by others, just get a clutch head screw driver set, for there are other sized clutch head screws on your truck. Tons of suppliers have them.

I was able to get all the passenger side ones out and replaced with modern ones. The drivers side only had two in it and they are stripped. I am going to pull the glass since it is getting replaced anyhow and it will make life easier trying to get the stripped ones out.

Thanks for coming back and letting us know how things worked out.

Maybe sometime in the future you can come back and post some pictures of your truck. I don’t recall seeing any and you know we love to see them, in whatever stage of build they might be. 😁

Dan