[DeTomaso] Arm Rest Removal Problem

[Rob Dumoulin]

Any way to feed a long thin pry-bar between the door and panel from the
side or bottom to keep pressure on the screw mount and possibly allow it to
stay still as you turn the screw?

If you can at least drill a smaller diameter pilot hole using the tube
approach, it will keep the larger bit centered as you drill the head away
which may minimize damage.  A less elegant approach would be to wrap all
but the tip of the drill bit in electrical tape to minimize damage.

Once you get it off, consider permanently attaching the arm rest to the
door panel from the back side and using modern-day plastic door clips to
hold the panel in place.  When I redid my interior, I got rid of all door
and pillar screws for a clean look. I probably went overboard on the number
of clips, but the fit is tight and has never come loose closing the door.

Rob


On Thu, Dec 20, 2012 at 1:35 PM, Jeff Udelson <jefude at yahoo.com> wrote:

> "If
> you push a short metal tube in the armrest hole you may be able to
> drill
> away the screw head without damaging the armrest."
>
> "The
> tube will protect the armrest, but it will not keep the screw
>  and threaded insert from turning when
> drilling.
> If the tube ID was slightly smaller than the screw head, it
> (the tube) could be driven over the screw head
> and then held with vise grips while drilling that might work."
>
>
>
> John,this was my concern also. The Phillips head bolt needs to be locked
> to even have a chance for the head to be drilled off. However as the
> drill bit begins to remove the head of the bolt it is probably going
> to break loose and spin. It looks like it is going to be a major PIA.
>
> I
> have 2 of the four fasteners with this problem. And am disappointed in the
> poor
> design over the original nylon fastener. The threaded sleeve should have
> been
> tack welded (instead of press fitted) to avoid this problem. Hopefully
> when I
> am able to get these removed a vendor has the original nylon type for me to
> use.
>
> Thanks
> to all for your suggestions.
> Jeff
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