TR2/3/3A Stubborn door hinge screws in “A” Post

Good morning. I’ve been a member of the forum since 2007, but this is the first time I’m posting a query. I’m in the process of repainting my TR3B and have removed the front doors and fenders in order to paint the inner fenders and A posts. Some of the door hinge screws on the A post will not budge even though I’ve been spraying them daily with Liquid Wrench, WD-40 and PB Blaster. I’ve tried regular flat head screwdrivers, hand impact driver with a heavy 10 lb hammer and have even tried using an impact bit attached to a ratchet and breaker bar to no avail. I don’t want to use any heat, to avoid having to remove the carpeted interior side panel.

My next step was going to be the use of an air impact hammer, but a friend said that this might damage the A post. He advised me to drill them out, which I previously thought be be a last resort for fear of damaging the captured nuts.

Does anyone have any suggestions, recommendations, etc.

Thanks, and stay safe.

Drilling it out and re tapping the captive nut may be your only option. You run the risk of spinning the captive nut in the cage if they are frozen that badly.

You must have taken the doors off the hinges to get the wings off. Could you leave the hinges in place when you paint the inner wings?

David

Here is thought I had. I would use a left hand drill bit and then maybe when enough meat is taken away the screw might spin out. Another thought would be to put an old say 8 inch drill bit in the hole you drill and heat the bit from a distance. I heated a drill bit the other day to burn some rubber out of the capping and bit got red hot fast. When drilling something like that get the center punch hole dead center and remove enough material. I have used like 1/8 for a pilot hole, but the hole needs to be bigger. If you cut the gage nut some you can still retap.

Thanks to all for the quick response. They are both good ideas. Based on an earlier
phone conversation with another TR3 friend, I might just give up and leave them attached. Since the screws are not in bad shape and are still tight on the A post, I should probably leave well enough alone and just paint over them. No doubt, they’ll outlast me.

Thanks again for the help.

It sounds like you have been through the standard order of escalation. Normally, if I've used the impact driver there is nothing left of the head...so it is obvious to drill following that. If your head is still intact...you could take out a lot more frustration before giving up!

Not sure if this is applicable and I am not trying to be funny, but some of those early impact hammer deals had to be cocked so the cam would spin with impact and some had a tightening setting also. It usually says on the handle. It should have spun at least a couple free.

If you are not taking the fenders off so you can get to the captive nuts I would leave them as they are.

Graham