I need to replace one of mine and I am curious what it takes to remove one. I have the biggest phillips screwdriver socket that I can find (seems to fit the screws well) and am using a breaker bar that is 2 feet long, and these screws aren't turning. They are still fresh looking, no visible rust, and I have shot them with PB Blaster. Does this require an impact wrench? Any guidance here is appreciated.
I have the very same problem. I want to remove both of them for paint instead of just masking them off. I just couldn't get any of the screws to turn with a socket and breaker bar. I'm right at that point of destroying the Phillips pattern in the screw head. I was thinking putting some heat around the screws and maybe that will do it.
There's a tool that you can put a phillips head drive into it and then you hit it with a hammer. This breaks the seal. Oh, it's called an impact driver, if I remember right.
I had to use an impact and the biggest phillips head I could buy. One came right out the other got 'rounded out' so I had to vise grip it from the back side (head was done anyway and I had a spare). That worked too but only as a last resort. The metals don't seem to want to mix well and it kind of welds in place like the screws that seize in aluminum rim center caps.
This is what you need. Very handy tool to have. (The top one) http://www.sears.com/shc/s/search_1...river&gobutton.x=0&gobutton.y=0&gobutton=find
Just recalled that I do have a Snap-On impact driver-----someplace Even though my garage is a few years old now, I still haven't collected all of my tools in one place yet. I'll have to go on a special hunt just for that impact driver.
Just don't get aggravated like I did and round off both heads. I ended up grinding mine off on the drivers side and putting in a new one. With an impact driver the passenger side came right off with no problem! Scott
Yes, very difficult to get these out without an impact driver. You can sometimes take a flat punch or old 3/8" extension and knock the crap out of it with a hammer and make it break loose so you can use the big screwdriver or breaker bar. The main thing is make sure the phillips bit does not slip and round out the screw. If it feels like it's slipping, get off of it.
Use a large phillips bit with a 1/2" ratchet...jam a long wooden 2x4 (or pipe) between the ratchet and the opposite side of the door jam. A few washers between the ratchet and 2x4 for spacers can be removed when the screw backs out. This will keep the bit from walking out of the screw head. Turn the ratchet and the screw will back out of the threads.
Update ... Got an impact driver ... beat on it mercilessly ... no luck. Took my propane torch and heated these to just below where I would be melting the paint in the jamb. Beat on it some more... Still couldn't turn the screws. Since I found that RPS has a repop striker post, I no longer felt like I had to find a way to do this surgically. I thought I would be doing the same thing out in the salvage yard with no electric drill and no torch. Now I could get destructive ... I started drilling the upper screew out. Let's just say that these are not mild steel ... probably hardened. It took a lot of drilling starting with an 1/8th" bit and moving up a couple sizes at a time. I was also using a 6 amp drill (slow and torquey) and alternating with screw extractors. I eventually hogged out the top screw until the head popped off. At that point, I started moving the post plate back and forth, figuring that I could at least turn the bottom screw out, once it was loosened up a bit ... wrong! The screw and the plate were turning as one. Like it was mentioned above ... the two metals fuse together over time. It is no wonder the screws were so tough to move. I got a helper to twist the striker post with a pliers while I pushed in the opposite direction with the breaker bar on the lower screw and the finally broke apart. Once the striker was out of the way, I drilled the stub of the upper screw down to in diameter to make sure that it would not damage the threads in the jamb, and screwed it all the way through with a pliers. Success! ... just far too much work.
It sounds like it would been a LOT easier to mask it before paint. that's what I did ...but i am in no way doing a concourse resto.
Bob, Mine needs replacement ... 160K miles and saggy hinges ... there is notch worn into the post and it no longer is solidly attached to the plate ... it wobbles.
