The Automotive Thread

[Road Guy]

lol that is pretty funny - I actually used to have that pic from the magazine in my old scout footlocker but I think one of my kids took it out when they took it to summer camp

 

[MA_PE]

A friend of mine had an amigo back in the day.  We picked up a swing set for my kids and put the roof down to load it.  He said that was the first and only time in the 1.5 yrs he owned it that the top was down.  

 

[Road Guy]

 

[envirotex]

So, sitting stranded along I-75 is squarely on me for: 1) assuming the guy I got the trailer from wasn’t a complete moron, and 2) not checking the tires closer than I did.

1) First red flag should have been the fact the tires he put on it weren’t even trailer tires. They were standard all-season car tires.

2) The tires didn’t look bad when I checked the pressure the day before we left, but that was sitting in the driveway cold. After 4 hours of interstate driving, the one that didn’t blow up is all cracked to hell. I’m not even sure how old these things were because I had to lookup the codes for tire date codes because it kinda looks like the code is pre-2000. If I’m reading this right, best case is they were made the 31st week of 1999.

View attachment 18132

3-digit DOT code is pre-2000...

Mr. Tex said do not drive with that tire. I said, too late...

 

[Supe]

I know people who run car tires in lieu of trailer tires, but age aside, those have the classic symptom of sitting deflated outdoors for a looong time before putting air in them.

 

[Road Guy]

Was bored AF and caught this gem of a wagon on BAck to the Future -

Oldsmobile?

 

[Supe]

AMC Eagle

Fun fact - the AMC Eagle was the first production car with full time AWD, and some consider it to be the first true crossover.

 

[Flyer_PE]

^It was a good idea.  Unfortunately, it suffered from AMC quality control. 

 

[Road Guy]

So I was trying to take off these hinge covers on my daughters jeep over the weekend, on the other side of the jeep they had started to cause some rusting in between the actual hinge and this cover but I cant get this one off. I tried 2X to tap and die it out, but both times the tap broke off, maybe I will try a 3rd time, but didnt want to mess up the threads in the actual door?

Any thoughts? I was going to take the door off and then maybe use an angle grinder to remove most of the plate so I could get some type of vice lock wrench on the nut?

 

[blybrook PE]

Have you applied any heat to the bolt heads / assembly? Some manufacturers have taken to utilizing the loc-tite that requires heat to remove so they don't rattle out while driving. 

Otherwise, remove the door, get out the grinder and go to town on removing material around the bolt heads. That should get enough heat in there to start loosening up the dissimilar metal corrosion that is going on and allow you to break them loose. May want to soak the heads / bolts with PB Blaster or WD 40 for a few hours before applying the heat.

 

[Supe]

Agree on PB blaster soak.  Then I would hammer a slightly oversized torx bit into the hole and hit it with an impact driver.

 

[Road Guy]

its a hex head (Allen wrench) - so maybe the torx idea would work if I can generate some teeth for it to grab onto

Its weird none of the others were hard to unscrew, I think someone used a power tool to put this one on and went a little too far..

 

[Supe]

That's the idea, the hex is presumably rounded out by now, the slightly oversized torx hammered in lets it grip.

If its ever stuck beyond belief, you can also weld a nut to the head and turn it out that way.  That's my go-to in most "this ain't ever coming out" cases.

 

[Road Guy]

So you're saying I should go buy a welder before the wife gets home from work tonight?

I can dig it!

 

[Supe]

Absolutely.

 

[Flyer_PE]

So you're saying I should go buy a welder before the wife gets home from work tonight?

I can dig it!

Over half of my current fleet of power tools has been purchased with this strategy!

 

[Road Guy]

then I will just need to watch some youtube videos on how to weld..

 

[Supe]

You may want to pick up a grinder while you're at it!

 

[blybrook PE]

I've used the welded nut several times. Most recently on the weight distribution hitch. Snapped the bolt off 3/4 of the way through the casting, but was able to disassemble far enough to get to the back side.  Soaked in WD40 over night, then welded a nut on the back side. Between the heat and soak, bolt turned right now and I was able to replace.

The small, 110V mig welders run around $150-200 for what you're trying to do. Easier to use than a stick welder, especially for the smaller diameter hardware. 

 

[jeb6294]

3-digit DOT code is pre-2000...

Mr. Tex said do not drive with that tire. I said, too late...

That’s the one that (somehow) didn’t blow up. It’s currently still in the back of the truck. The wheel looks pretty rough, but if it’s still usable, I may get a good trailer tire thrown on there so I have a proper spare.