Blaine B.
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Northwest Indiana
Yes because the bending causes fatigue in the metal for the cotter pin, whereas the safety pin can just be slipped in and out and never bent......aka no stress or fatigue of the metal.
Brilliant Torx Trick
- Thread starter TheAlmightySam
- Start date
Begster
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Cape Cod/Boston, Mass
Ya I knew I spelt that wrong.
And thank you, I had never seen those safety pins before. I like their reasoning, maybe I'll have to go somewhere and pick a few up. I hate that trying to find a new cotter pin if you don't have any around. Thanks for the knowledge.
And thank you, I had never seen those safety pins before. I like their reasoning, maybe I'll have to go somewhere and pick a few up. I hate that trying to find a new cotter pin if you don't have any around. Thanks for the knowledge.
5-90
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Hammerspace
begster said:
No problem - it's what I do. Check your local hardware store - I get them in stainless at mine all the time.
I don't use cotters when I put a front end together - I use safety pins. It's also easier to deal with. I try to not re-use mechanic's pins around the shop, but I can re-use them in the field - which is why I use them.
If I take them off in the shop, I toss them in the toolbox - you can still use them for bundling and organising wiring, keeping nuts toghether, ...
- Location
- Antioch, CA
I have a set of these at work. They really work great on just about any style head bolt. I know Craftsmen makes a set too.
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?item_ID=64889&group_ID=16597
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?item_ID=64889&group_ID=16597
for me its not a matter of having the torx bits, i have a set of decent craftsman lifetime ones. but torx bolts strip so easily then ruin the bit. to get my seatbelt bolts off to patch my floor i went though 2 craftsman bits and one snap on, so i eneded up finding this post, nicking them with a grinder and taking them off with an ajustable.
Harbor Freight has them also, but they are zinc coated so they probably aren't stainless. They call them Industrial Safety Pins $14 for an assortment of 49.5-90 said:
ren
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- frenchburg, ky
You can also mechanics pins at heavy equipment garages (think BIG truck-KW, Pete, Freightliner, etc...). You can even get them big enough to use for hood pin keepers.
RichP
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Effort, Pa
Just re read this thread and checked the pirate thread. A couple of years ago we had to pull the cage from the TJ, it was bent and sprung pretty bad so we decided to replace it. We had made a few trips to the jeeps only boneyard over near cabellas and the guy there showed me a trick that has worked every time.
Never use a 3/8 in ratchet on them. Use a 1/2" with a stepdown adapter and short extension.
Put the socket in with the extension and using a DEADBLOW or brass hammer so you don't get a rebound, give the end of the extension a sharp hit, goal is to drive the torx bit into the torx hole and seat it and also displace the paint thats in there around the bit. Once you do that the torx bit should be in there like it has been suaged in, no wiggle and it should be a real bear to get out.
Then with the longer 1/2 ratchet or breaker bar start applying pressure, every one of them came out this way. In a couple of cases once we removed the torx we had to put it in a vise and pull it off the bit.
Never use a 3/8 in ratchet on them. Use a 1/2" with a stepdown adapter and short extension.
Put the socket in with the extension and using a DEADBLOW or brass hammer so you don't get a rebound, give the end of the extension a sharp hit, goal is to drive the torx bit into the torx hole and seat it and also displace the paint thats in there around the bit. Once you do that the torx bit should be in there like it has been suaged in, no wiggle and it should be a real bear to get out.
Then with the longer 1/2 ratchet or breaker bar start applying pressure, every one of them came out this way. In a couple of cases once we removed the torx we had to put it in a vise and pull it off the bit.
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