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

[Philip Ethier]

Thanks to all who responded.  The heat gun did the trick!




On Sat, Apr 18, 2026 at 5:48 AM Jeff Scarbrough <fishplate at gmail.com> wrote:

> Is that painted or bare metal?  I don't recall having to remove an item
> fastened with red (I'm a blue man, mostly),  but in either case, I'd take a
> heat gun and apply heat equivalent to full sun in Arizona and see if that
> would loosen it up.  Couldn't hurt, since the car should be built for that
> kind of warmth.
>
> I wonder if some let-go spray like Kroil or PB Blaster would be
> effective?  Especially if it was already warm?   Anything that wouldn't
> harm the finish.
>
> Good luck!
>
> -- Jeff
>
> On Fri, Apr 17, 2026, 22:10 Philip Ethier <pethier7 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> 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
>>
>
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