Problem: loose stud on door handle, More problems Options

[bbrock]

Hoping to get some BTDT wisdom. I'm simply trying to remove the passenger side door handle and hit a major snag. The little M6 stud that attaches to the tab on the outer part of the handle is just spinning free so I can't get the self-locking nut off.

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads_offsite/cdn4.pelicanparts.com-20845-1499725820.1.JPG)

It isn't broken, it is still attached to the tab on the door handle, but loose inside. I've tried soaking the nut with PB Blaster, heating it with a propane torch, and trying to wedge a flat blade screw driver against the stud in an attempt to create more friction resisting the stud turning than needed to break the nut loose. There isn't a lot of room in there to work and I know from sad experience how easy it is to break the pot metal on these things. The only options I see now involve a drill and destroying the stud, or drilling in from the outer (tab) side to try to pin the stud enough to get the nut off. Either way, I need to make sure there is a path forward for a good repair. Even better would be the third option that you are going to tell me about (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[bbrock]

Well... if this was a part buried deep in the car and a PIA to replace, I wouldn't have even asked the question about repairing. But it's an easy 20 minute remove and replace job and I'm cheap, stubborn, and curious. A bad combination. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/screwy.gif)

So I did some googling on pot metal repair and discovered it CAN be repaired..... maybe. Here are the methods I found:

1. welding. Turns out SOME pot metals can be welded by a really skilled and experienced welder. That ain't me so moving on...

2. A product called Muggy Weld. This is a low melting temperature alloy used to solder pot metal and other white metals together. This looked like the best bet but it's $60 to get a small pack of sticks and flux so didn't pencil out for this little experiment.

3. Brazing. Like welding, it depends on the composition of the pot metal and the skill of the brazer. I thought about taking it somewhere to have a pro give it a try, but sounds rather risky.

4. Soldering. I'm pretty good at it and can do it myself. The part was headed to the scrap pile anyway, so I decided to give it a whirl. I decided to use silver solder because I thought it might be a bit stronger than lead. For heat, I used a propane torch. It actually went quite well. I had a nice, clean repair with solder that flowed out flat and down into the crack. Then I decided I would just touch it up a bit. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/051103-stupid4.gif) I got a little too high on the hole for the pin where the metal gets thin and partially blew out a bit of pot metal. The melting point of the pot metal is only a few degrees hotter than the solder, so it is tricky business. But I was already in at at this stage so I switched over to my 100w soldering iron used for seaming gutters and tried my hand at filling that blowout. It took some finesse, but I wound up with a pretty clean looking patch. Only time will tell how well it holds up. It might bust off on the first cold day. Or maybe it will last for years. It seems pretty strong though.



I think after it is rechromed, you won't be able to tell I was there. For the stud, I'm going to drill it out, countersink the outside of the hole, and solder in an M6 countersunk bolt that again, should disapear with chrome plating.

scallyK9 and URY914, thanks for the tips on hinge pins. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif) I managed to squish one of the heads down on this one to get it out in a reusable state, but I think that was just freakish luck. I'll be taking apart the other one for plating and it's good to know the pin can be reused. I might just JB Weld a little cap onto the cut end for extra measure.