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That time a stripped bolt on a Cessna 172 cowl flap turned a 30 minute job into a 4 hour nightmare
It was a simple cowl flap hinge replacement. Should have been a quick pull and swap. The forward bolt was seized and the head stripped clean the second I put a wrench on it. Ended up drilling it out, which took forever because of the tight space and not wanting to mess up the hinge bracket. What was supposed to be a 30 minute pre-flight turned into a 4 hour ordeal of careful drilling, easy-out attempts, and finally tapping new threads. I keep a set of left-hand drill bits in my box now just for that. Anyone have a better method for dealing with seized aluminum bolts in tight spots without having to drill?
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ivan_perez8d ago
Why didn't you just heat it up first?
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seth_green858d ago
Honestly, that's the kind of genius idea you only get after the fact. My brain was just fully committed to the cold, sad version of the plan. Like trying to spread cold butter and just accepting the torn bread as your fate. The moment had already passed, you know?
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