[Shop-talk] red LocTite: How much heat do you need to disassemble parts

[Philip Ethier]

I figured that changing the side mirrors on the Birkin would be a walk in
the park.  The mirrors that came to me with this car are flat.  The left
one is wonky, and a DPO tried to fix that with an airplane clamp.  That
does not work.





Got new mirrors.  Convex.  Look good.  Mounting method looks identical.  I
rolled back the big locknut.  Now all I have to do is grab onto the mirror
strut and rotate it out.  No go.  I took a closer look:


https://www.flickr.com/photos/pethier/55213872895/in/photostream/




I see red.  I fear that some DPO has used Red LocTite on this mirror stem.
WHY?  There is a massive locknut on this (much-more substantial stuff than
on my Caterham).  I can't believe it would rattle loose untreated, much
less rattle loose with Blue LocTite.





Just for laughs, I check the right mirror.  No, that one is not coming off
either.



OK, so if it is red LocTite, there is no way it is coming out without
heat.  So how much heat do I need?  Will a serious heat gun do the job?



I have already wrestled off the wind deflectors, since they certainly will
not survive any heat in the area.



Should I not try heat here?  Plan B would be to declare the removal
impossible,



crack the nut and Dremel the part that didn't fracture



saw the mirror stem off leaving the threaded stub sticking out of the
windshield frame



find or make coupling nuts and screw the new mirrors into those




-- 
Phil Ethier, West Side, Saint Paul Minnesota, USA
2006 Gulf Stream Conquest Super C, 8.1, white
2011 Cayman 2.9 PDK, white
2021 Ford F-150 3500cc twin turbo, white
1991 Caterham 1700 Super Sprint, not white
2003? Birkin, green
www.mnautox.com

<http://www.mnautox.com/>
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