The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Paint and Body Shop Doors Removing division channel lower attaching bolt

This is my first time attempting to do any work on the vent windows on my 51. Any advice on how to remove the division channel lower attaching bolt? I have removed the lower hinge cover and can reach up and feel it, but don't know the best way to get it loose. I do have a shop manual but this specific step is not very clear.

Thanks for any advice you might have.

Chris

....having small arms and hands is a BIG plus!!

I used a 3/8 drive ratchet with a short extention. Getting it out is no problem but getting it back in can be a pain sometime.
To put it in I practically sat on the floor where I could bend/twist my arm to get up in there and start the bolt with my fingers. It ain't easy but you may get lucky. Oh, one time I used a long slim punch to stick up in there to try make sure it was in the right place. You may be able to shine a flashlight down in the door to see if its lined up or lay a light inside the door to light it up. The hole the bolt goes through is sort of slotted so there is some movement side to side to help.

I might add that if you are getting new windows cut make sure they do not cut the glass "big" to pattern or you will have trouble getting the glass to roll up and down. Also there has been some things said about the vertical strip being pretty tight....all this is if your rebuilding all the stuff.

The second one is easier than the first

Achipmunk is right on the ratchet it is a 1/2" socket required. One thing this bolt is ofetn rusted from condensation or rain water. Spray with PB Blaster looking down from the top using a tube. Let it sit and loosen if you don't you can twist the attachment bracket and really cause some trouble. It is a short bolt about 3/4" long but it is tough.

Thanks for the great advice. One other question. Is there a nut on the bottom of the bolt or does it thread into the attachment bracket? Feeling up into the door I thought I felt something like a nut and I got a socket on it from the underside but I didn't have a long enough extension and the ratchet hit the top of the hinge panel opening.

Will try to take a better look at it with some better light and maybe a mirror.

Thanks!
Chris

The bolt screws directly into a nut welded on top of the bracket. No nut on top to worry about.

The nut is welded to the assembly. The bolt goes up from the bottom into it. That is why you want to get oil on it the threads are exposed through the top and are almost always rust locked. The bracket it all attaches to is sheet metal and is welded to the door. I have posted these pictures for you so you can see what it looks like.
http://community.webshots.com/photo/2112932580102454676VrBuIP
http://community.webshots.com/photo/2818182380102454676IWAfYi

Brad--Thanks so much. A picture is worth a thousand words. So what I am feeling and what I got the socket on is actually the head of the bolt correct??

Chris

Correct now just carefully remove, the bottom of the vent frame is what will bend on you. On these old bolts a couple of tricks:
1. Use the PB Blaster or similar penetrating oil.
2. Try to slightly tighten before you loosen to break the chemical bond.
3. If you have trouble getting the bolt back up in place tie a piece of string to it and you can pull it up through the hole, then tie it off to something when it just starts to enter, once started the string will cut as you tighten but by then you are in. Also don't assemble dry put a couple drops of machine oil on the threads. Good Luck!

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I got the vent assembly and the window out. Going to take the window to the glass shop next week to have new glass put in, the vent glass is fine. I did learn a couple of other tricks. I got a long handled mirror and that was a tremendous help to see up into the door--I didn't have to lay on my back. Also I used a pretty long extension on my ratchet so that the ratchet handle was in the hinge access area and I could get a bit more leverage that way--and less scraping of the hands.

I am doing one door a time so if I need to reference the other door during reassemlby I can.

Once again thanks for the help!!!

Chris