Phillips Head Screws

[Barrman]

I am really getting annoyed with all the phillips head fasteners on my M35.

First were the 16 that hold the doors to the cab. 4 Impact driver tips broken and 4 screws that had to be drilled out. Anybody put regular hex headed bolts in there? I sure am thinking about it. Figure the head might be a little too tall for clearance when the door is shut. Next thought was to grind the heads down just a little or do it scientifically on the lathe to a specific amount. Thoughts?

Then the little bitty phillips heads that hold the glove box door hinges, glove box to the dash and then the ones on top of the dash that hold it to the cab. About half of those were ground off or a cut off blade in a die grinder was used to make them slot head before I could remove them.

The battery door and tool box door had another 10 of those nice little phillips screws waiting to torment me as well.

I started stripping the doors last night. Yep, more stuck and rounded off phillips heads waiting for me to practice my patience on. I feel a trip to the hardware store for hex head replacements for them all coming on.

At least the windshield to windshield frame bolts were hex headed and easy to remove.

 

[texas-5-ton]

You are right...Seems like if you had a Phillips screwdriver and a 9/16 wrench, you could completely disassemble a truck. I presume they were made like this so that it would be conveniant if you broke down and didn't have 47 different sizes of wrenches and screwdrivers. And i broke several drivers as well on my door hinges.

 

[Recovry4x4]

I'd consider button style socket head bolts for them hinges. Wait till you need to pull the handles off the side of the cab. Those really suck.

 

[doghead]

For stubborn old corroded phillips head screws, I have had pretty good luck with the "hand held hit it with a hammer type" impact driver like this HF link shows. http://ww2.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=37530 This type of impact is also available in Craftsman and SnapOn brands as well as others. Here is a link to the Craftsman brand that I currently use with good results; http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00947641000P?keyword=impact+driver

 

[Blood_of_Tyrants]

I used to work on aircraft and they have a jillion Phillips screws on them. We had a special tool made that had a Phillips screw bit holder on one end and was adapted to fit an impact hammer on the other. It had a handle in the middle that allowed you to take out the worst Phillips head screws.

Also, make sure that you use the right size Phillips head and get a screwdriver that allows you to change bits when one gets worn.

 

[jodka]

I have never dealt with screws on a deuce, but generally, my favorite weapon of choice for removing stubborn Phillips head screws is a brace and bit with a 1/4" hex-bit adapter chucked into it. The advantages are 1. Easy to apply lots of downward pressure on the screw head to avoid cam out 2. Plenty of torque. 3. Hex bits are varied, plentiful, and inexpensive. If you ruin one by camming out, no significant loss. One-piece brace bits are less varied, more difficult to change and more expensive.

Downward pressure is a definite winner there. Also, torquing is completely different, but I don't know if that is better or worse; With a brace you get a steady torque which can be increased gradually vs. pounding of an impact driver. It seems there might be some difference in the proclivity to snap off screw heads but I don't know which choice is better.

So to summarize the main advantages of using a brace and bit for removing stubborn phillips head screws-- With cam out: improvement. With twisting off heads: not sure.

By the way, most of us don't want screws which cam out and Phillips heads were designed specifically to do that. Its was a feature which prevented over-tightening on factory assembly lines when it was patented in 1936. From a mechanical standpoint, there are better choices than the Phillips head. Though on a deuce there are competing concerns with standardization and historical accuracy.

And a lot of people here seem to already know about McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com). So maybe there is no need to mention it. It is a good place to shop for fasteners, if you are looking for a low-profile hex bolts to replace Phillips head fasteners. Good because it is extremely easy to find what you need.

- Allen

 

[jasonjc]

I used to work on aircraft and they have a jillion Phillips screws on them. We had a special tool made that had a Phillips screw bit holder on one end and was adapted to fit an impact hammer on the other. It had a handle in the middle that allowed you to take out the worst Phillips head screws.

Also, make sure that you use the right size Phillips head and get a screwdriver that allows you to change bits when one gets worn.

You beat me to it. That tool is made by someone just not shure who. It does help a lot. And the brace and bit method also works good.

 

[FreightTrain]

Ehhh,they ain't that bad.One size does not fit all when it comes to screws.The drive is designed to mate with a spacific size screwdriver.Tight fit,not wobble,bottoms out is the way to go.Also,I like the type with a square shaft cause you can put a wrench on that for extra UMPH while pushing it hard into the head.use the correct size and you will normally not have a problem.

 

[renovate7]

Funny you should mention this. I just pulled the phillips head screws( bolts actually) that hold the straps to the cargo bow elbows, cursing the whole time. I'll replace them with hex head bolts. I haven't even received my deuce yet and already have something else to look forward to. I'll spray them all with PB Blaster before I attempt to remove them. I've put vice grips on the shank of the screw driver and leaned into it before. I like the idea of the brace and will try that.

 

[houdel]

Lots of times the tip of the bit bottoms out and prevents the drive edges on the bit from fully engaging the slot of the screw. I routinely grind off 1/16" or so from the tip of all my Phillips bits. It really helps with those stubborn screws!