just broke the worst screw in the whole airplane.

its the lower motor mount screw, now the locktite is hardening and the piece is inside.

to replace the T-nut is a pain because its so deep.

lower right screw in the picture.

just when the 4*60 got built fast.

what do i do now???
Alex

Just use a drill punch and knock out the broken screw and blind nut plate together, just replace the whole thing.

Drive the blind nut out of the firewall. Go to ACE Hardware and buy a 3' piece of allthread. They carry both standard and metric. Thread a new blind nut onto the end of the allthread. From inside the fuse, feed the allthread through the hole where the old blind nut was. Put a dab of epoxy on the blind nut flange. Now, put a washer and nut on the allthrtead spin it down to the firewall and tighten it to pull the blind nut into the firewall. When the glue dries, loosen the nut and spin the allthread out.

This is also a great way to install blind nuts in any hard to reach location.

Tony

It's not too hard to replace the blind nut.

Remove the old one first. Use a punch if you have one, a nail if you don't. A few taps with a hammer and the blind nut will pop right out.

The trick to replacing the nut is to use a length of music wire with a wheel collar on it. Put the blind nut on the wire and then thread the wire through the fuse and through the hole in the firewall. Pull through the firewall and with a little fiddling you can get the blind nut started in the hole. Pull on the wire with pliers to set it just a little. Remove the wire.

Now for the tricky part. With a light touch try to thread a bolt with a fender washer into the blind nut. Don't push or you'll pop the blind nut out and you'll have to start over. When you get it started, tighten the bolt down and it'll seat the blind nut.

Dave

If the screw head is gone, just bang out the t-nut, towards the inside of the plane, and try to re-use that nut. Does this make sense to you? You will have to replace the screw. Daren

Thanks guys,
OK drilled the nut out, now trying to fish a new nut in side without opening the fule tank.....

alex7403- glad to see you followed the good advise the guys supplied. It is so much easier ............

If you have access to some long hemostats, use them to hold the blind nut in the tank area while you thread the screw onto it. You may need to use a longer screw to make the connection.

Thanks for the good helpful replies, you gave me some good ideas and encouragement….
I was ready to cry yesterday looking at the broken screw.
So many good replies like wind in my sails.

Eventually I used a long piano wire to fish a new blind nut and positioned it instead of the old one, then with another blind nut and a long screw I positioned it and stressed it into position and epoxy around it to close the gap of drilling.

I was always thinking oh god to replace this nut its such a pain…

Anyway I almost finished the airplane, just pushrods and CG.

Thanks alot
Alex

you are gonna love that plane, I have one that I just got in the air, wow do they ever fly great!

In the worse case scenerio. If you can't get a blind nut in. Great Planes,and other, make a brass insert that is threaded on both sides. You can drill the firewall a little bigger and thread one of these right in. I would not use 4 of them on a mount but one wont hurt.

David

Every once in a while someone posts something that once you read it you go DUH !!! and pop yourself right smack dab on the forehead.
Pure genius, and yet it should have been obvious.
I will be stopping at the hardware store tomorrow and buying a good long piece of #6 and #8 all-thread.
Thanks for the tip.