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Triumph TR3 - Control head removal

I can see that the control head can be removed by removing set screws. I've tried a small slotted screwdriver and various hex keys but can't get a feel for the head of the screw. What do you use to remove these set screws?
Also I now have a non removable windshield stanchion bolt. It would not budge (soaked in WD for a week then used a big honkin’ screwdriver to round out the slot), so I drilled out the center and tried an "easy out". The "easy-out" snapped and now fills the newly drilled hole. Drill and tap? Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Steve C.
1960 TR3A
Steve C.

The control head set screws on my 1959 TR3A are slotted. You may need to fashion the blade on a small bladed screwdriver to fit the slot as it seems to be a bigger slot than normal on my TR3 which I believe has the original screws. Your set screws could be different if they have been removed at some time. If the control head screws are as corroded as your stanchion screw is rusted you may need a "new" steering wheel. It would be difficult to drill out a steel screw in a metal casting as the steering hub appears to be. They would probably be bigger screws when you finished and that could be a safety issue as well as alignment issue with the control head.

The stanchion screw goes into a nut that is behind a second piece of metal under the scuttle. Cutting a hole in the second piece of metal for access and then repairing the hole is way beyond what I would do. I would get a body shop to do it if at all possible.

Luckily, all these screws were easily removed and reinstalled on my restoration.
hjr
hjr

I have aTR3B which has the same bolt on windscreen stanchions. I recall that behind the carpet on the side kickwalls are holes in the inner panels that gives access to the the stanchion nuts. My windscreen was difficult to install. I believe that I could not get all of the bolts properly started. I do not recall if there are captive nuts but I do recall using the openings that are there to get a wrench or rachet on the nut and perhaps adding a second nut to get the bolts drawn tight. I know that it was sufficiently difficult that I do not want to do it again if I do not have to.
Gary
GG Krafft

The steering wheel hub is aluminum, and on my car a previous owner drilled the grub screws out. Like previously mentioned, the holes drilled off to the side of the screw, into the aluminum. I haven't driven the car yet, but I used epoxy to fill the crooked holes, retapped and used set screws with allen heads to replace the slotted ones. Should have had the holes redrilled in a fresh spot by someone with more skill than I to jig them properly, I suppose. Or maybe get a new wheel if needed. Maybe it would be easier to work on if you have a 2 piece column and took the whole top half out of the car.

The wires were rusted to the stator tube in mine, a royal pain to remove. I ended up grinding teeth on a long rod and almost burned up a drill motor before getting a clean tube. Hours of impatient cussing. Running the new wires through is a pain, too.

Your broken screw/ez-out might be best removed by welding a nut on the ez-out. While it's still hot, clamp a vice grip on the nut and start to wiggle, it should loosen up then. It is possible that you could get a vice grip on the back of the screw, even if you have to cut a flap of sheetmetal to get to it. Then wiggle, tap, squirt, turn it out the backside. Or remove the nut from the back as suggested above.

Ain't this fun?
Tom

Thanks for the encouragement!
I'll try the drill and tap method with the faint hope of aligning the threads. Just how hard do you think the metal of the broken "easy-out" is? Just a little harder than my drill bit? If it gets real messy I'll just drill all the way through and fit a nut on a slightly longer bolt from the inside. This means an acccess hole in the metal flap. I will also try to find replacement stainless steal bolts with anything but a slotted or phillips head.
Steve
Steve Crosby

Easy-out metal is very hard; you will likely have no success drilling it. I have tried this before and the drill bit just wanders off to the side and drills the softer metal nearby, which is no help.
When you drilled, did the head of the screw come off? This worked for me: use a largish bit, big enough that the head comes off (on both bolts), and then the stanchion can "fall off". You are then left with some length of bolt sticking out of the sheet metal - at that point I clamped on with vice grips and they turned out easy as can be. (All this after much pentrating oil, heat, etc.)
Jim
J. S. Wallace

Hey Jim,
Were you there? This is exactly what happened to the second bolt. It was disposed of quickly and quietly.
I'm hoping that the clockwise motion of the drill bit will loosen the easy-out fragment. Maybe by creating an access hole on the inside I may be able to get at the pointy end of the easy-out. I'll let the board know what happens.
The screws at the corners of the windshield frame are in the same condition.
Have a great weekend all.
Steve
Steve Crosby

Steve - I suggest thet you drill the heads of the 6 screws holding the stantions to the frame. Don't drill further than you need to. Then your pull the stantions away from the frame and keep putting penetratrant on the stubs every day for a week. Then tighten a vice-grips onto the protruding 1/4" long stub abd twist then out. New chromed screws of the correct type are available from TRF, etc.

Don Elliott, Original Owner, 1958 TR3A

http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/trebor/don3a_big.JPG
Don Elliott

All,
I drilled and tapped and will probably use the bolts I got from Moss. The easy-out ate up 3 bits before I drilled all the way through. the threads tapped perfectly. They must have tracked on the originals.
Back to the original topic - The set screws were missing! That's why they were so hard to find. The car is now tucked away for its winter sleep.
Steve
Steve Crosby

My setscrews were missing too. Along with some aluminum where threads were supposed to be. The local hardware store had nice allen head ones, I ground a bit more of a point on them, though.
Tom

another trick to try is loc-tite solvent, sometimes, the low-life previous owner(llpo) uses a thread sealant where it shouldn't be.
A. R. Christopher

This thread was discussed between 23/10/2006 and 10/11/2006

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