The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Panels 'N Burbs Removing broken, rusted interior screws

Okay, so all you out there that have done interior work on your burbs must have run across this situation. The rust inside the door panels and rear interior panels makes it tough to remove screws without breaking them in half. While most of the time a good shot of liquid wrench helped, I have a half dozen or so that broke inside the panel door or rear quarters.

Looking for your recommendation about the easiest and less damaging way of getting them out, leaving the retaining insert intact. Send me your genius!

TIG weld something on the end of the screw enough to grab it with vice grips and often effortlessly remove them.

the welding heats the screw and the thought is that it expands in the hole and crushes the rust some, making it a little freer and easier to remove.

All I can say it is works 98% of the time, I've removed hundreds of broken fasteners with this method, and can only think of a couple where it hasn't worked.

Grigg

Is there a non-welding option?

Heat is where it is at.

I have been able to heat mine with a propane torch and then use vice grips to grab and remove all of mine, in my Suburban, without welding. Try a propane torch first and see where it gets you.

There are some, but there is no comparison to the welding option.

The same method I use with the TIG can be done with a MIG welder, although not as easy on the hard to get to ones, or screws broken off below flush.
Even a stick welder will work if you're good enough, or if the bolt is large enough.. I've tried them all on broken bolts and screws, and prefer the TIG welder.

There are some pretty affordable MIG welders available, even small ones that run on 110V would help remove screws.

Grigg

I agree, welding is about the best way.

I may be a bit late here but i have used a propane tourch and ice water to free up rusted screwes and bolt's and brake bleeder's. Have the ice water in a quench bottle works well,heat then cool heat then cool usually after awhile it will come.Having a lot of patience help's

Thanks all.

My biggest issue is small bolts that broke off inside the door and rear interior panels, with very little or nothing sticking out to grab onto. Heat will certainly help loosen, but then I have to figure out how to turn them with little to grab onto.

If the screws or boltheads are broken off, I drill a hole and use an ez out. Or if the bolt head is rounded off I have a set of craftsman gripper sockets, these work well. I agree with using the heat first..

left hand drill bits work well on small stuff. Use drill in reverse & slow speed.

A fellow Bolter and local buddy (same guy) told me of a way to get stuck bolts out, I'm sure it will work with screws as well, the trick is to do this BEFORE you bust or otherwise make the head of the fastener un-usable or broken.
I went to a local hardware store and got some Bee's Wax, heated the stuck fastener using a torch and applied the bee's wax to the head of the fastener. The Bee's Wax wicked into the joint and the fastener was freed up pronto! I used this on the door hinge bold on my 57 GMC 100 panel, works like a charm!
Thanks Greg!
PS: WD-40 didn't do a thing.

WD-40 is mostly for a lubricant not a penetrant.
WD stands for "water displacement" (test #40) and was invented by/for the space program of some sorts.
Got to remember the bee's wax think. I could have saved a lot of quarters that went into the swear jug.