Remember when we used to tap out a stripped bolt with a hammer and chisel?

Had a stripped 3/8-24 bolt on a Cessna 172 flap track last week. The old heads always said to give it a few good whacks with a hammer and a sharp chisel to shock it loose. Figured I'd try it for old times' sake. Gave it a solid tap, and the whole head sheared right off. Clean break. Now I'm drilling it out, which is a pain. The metal just seems more brittle on these newer airframes. Maybe the old tricks don't always fit the new materials. Anyone got a better method for a seized bolt in a tight spot on a flap mechanism?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_vera2d ago

Man, you tried the caveman method and the bolt just gave up and died? That's some next level brittle. Guess the old "percussive maintenance" only works on stuff that's already half rust. Now you're stuck playing dentist on a flap track, drilling out the world's most stubborn tooth. Maybe we need a new trick, like a tiny bolt exorcism or something.

amy_robinson2d ago

My buddy Steve in Wichita had a similar thing happen with a shear bolt on a Piper gear strut. He tried the heat and quench method, but the metal just turned chalky and cracked. Ended up having to use a left hand drill bit and an easy out, and it still took him most of a day. He said it felt like the new alloy just doesn't have any give left in it.