Chuck Z

Today I picked up the 3.6 turbo wheel centers painted to match the GTS and they look AWESOME.

I'm in the process of putting them back together and need to know if there is any way to get the Loctite Blue from the threads of the bolts and nuts before I re-apply it and assemble the wheels? Do I need to get it from the threads?

Scott M.

I use a wire brush or just run them through a tap/die.

My wire wheel (on my buffer) tends to take the bolt coating off and allows bolts to rust later.

HTH,
Scott

Gregg K

Careful with the tap and die method. All threads are not created equal. You can end up ruining threads if the engagement is different between the threads and the particular tap or die.

I use a fine stainless brush. And if it's a loose bolt, I chuck it up on my lathe and turn it while brushing away. It's about the quickest way I know. A drill chuck can also work, on a slow speed.

I'm guessing you've got a lot of em. You might contact loctite to see what you can get away with. You might not have to clean them up.

Chuck Z

Thanks guys.

38 nuts and 38 bolts per wheel.

Have started with a bench grinder with a soft wire wheel at low speed which seems to do a pretty good job but takes FOREVER!

I may have to buy new nuts if this stuff must come off to work properly when I re-apply it when reassembling. I'll try Loctite and see if they can tell me if it really needs to come off.

Garth S

Methylene chloride is the solvent that softens/removes the 'blue'. Loctite sell an aerosol can containing this in a bunch of stabilizers, etc under the name "Chisel". This is actually a gasket remover, but may soften the stuff considerably, such that using the bronze or stainless brush as Gregg mentioned becomes far easier.

Chuck Z

Thanks Garth,

Where do I get this stuff? Auto Parts like Pep Boys or Auto Zone?

shaaark89

chuck,
won't find it at the local chain stores. try:
http://www.globaltoolsupply.com/cgi-...html?E+scstore
it's very nasty stuff so use gloves and eye protection. i got some on my arm and it burned like h*ll.

Garth S

To find those sort of things locally, I go to an industrial supply shop - the sort that sells bearings, drive belts, etc.: they normally have the full range of loctite products. On line sources as Tom noted are quick and easy.

Chuck Z

Here is the response from the makers of Loctite to my question about having to remove the old Loctite or not?
___________________________________________________________
Dear Mr. Z:

Thank you for e-mailing Henkel Consumer Adhesives. We appreciate your
interest in our products.

We do recommend removing any residue from the threadlocker before
reapplying it. Methylene chloride (found in paint stripper) will remove
it.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to
call us at (800) 321-0253, Monday through Friday, between the hours of 9:00
a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time; or visit us on the Web at
www.henkelca.com.

Thank you for your inquiry. I hope you find this information helpful.

Sincerely,

Tammy Haslage
Consumer Relations Coordinator
___________________________________________________________

Soooooooo..... only 38 more nuts and bolts to left and all the loctite will be gone. They're suggestion about removing it works very well.

Thanks to everyone for their input.

dr bob

Chuck--

You can buy methylene chloride at Home Depot in the paint department. Label will read MEK. Warnings: Extremely flammable, fat soluble so it goes right through the skin and heads for the brain, and a very low vapor pressure so it flashes off in a pretty good hurry.

For your bolts, get a glass jar, put some in there with all the bolts and nuts, put the lid on and go about your other business for a day or two. When you come back, the coatings will be softened or dissolved, and you can start over with new stuff.

Wear neoprene gloves. Latex will turn to mush in seconds just from the vapors. Work outside so you don't whiff the fumes and the fumes don't migrate to the water heater and start a fire. Goggles aren't a bad idea if there's any chance of splashing your face. You know the drill.

Good luck!

Chuck Z

Thanks dr bob,

I used paint stripper to loosen (turn it back to a liquid form) the Loctite, paint thinner to help clean it off and a bench grinder with a SOFT wire wheel to clean off any remaining residue. The nuts were threaded on the bolts to remove the majority of the Loctite then dipped in the paint thinner and the threads were cleaned with a paper towel rolled up and twisted into the nut. A final wash with soap and water and the all look like new.

The exciting part, I have one of the rears completely reassembled and it looks AWESOME. For those that might not know, I painted the centers of the 3.6 turbo reps the same color as my 95 GTS (midnight blue metallic).

Pics coming soon......

Randy V

Just a minor point of clarification - methylene chloride and MEK (methyl ethyl ketone), while sharing some of the same properties, are different chemical compounds - they both exhibit toxicological characteristics common in MED (methyl ethyl death) :


Methylene Chloride

Methylene chloride is a popular solvent for resins, fats, and waxes and is used in paint, thinners, removers, adhesives, film, plastics, inks, foams, hairsprays, air fresheners, and printed circuit boards. Exposed workers have an increased incidence of pancreatic and liver cancer deaths. It produces malignant liver and lung neoplasms in animals. EPA considers it a probable human carcinogen.


Methyl Ethyl Ketone

MEK is a colorless, volatile, organic solvent with a pleasant pungent odor akin to lacquer thinner. It is commonly used as a cleaning solvent in construction. Chronic inhalation of MEK vapors at concentrations in the range of 100-300 PPM and higher is toxic to the adult central nervous system. Headache, dizziness, and mental confusion are common early signs of MEK''s neurotoxic potential. MEK also has the peculiar property of potentiating the neurotoxicity of other organic solvents. MEK has a remarkable ability to enter the body through intact human skin. Animal developmental toxicology studies on MEK in peer-reviewed literature show it is fetotoxic; it has the capacity to interfere with normal fetal growth and development. If this occurs throughout gestation can actually cause much more devastating and irreparable harm, especially if the affected system is the developing central nervous system.

Neil Warwick

Methy Ethyl Ketone used to be used as a solvent in many "contact" type adhesives, until the sport of glue shiffing took off in the 80's, when the manufacturers replaced it with often less effective solvents. It's neurotoxicity on chronic exposure can be devastating, total loss of feeling in hands and feet, etc., which doesn't return! Anyway, Methylene Chloride is what you want and is less volatile; still, be careful. Also, watch out with lower grades of "stainless" steel, Methylene Chloride can reduce these surfaces---green stuff.

dr bob

I was just outside looking at the cans and realized my mistake. Dual-dyslexic or something.

Garth S

Yeah, that's one of the clinical conditions of snorting too much MEK: when it progress further, you need to carry a mirror to read words like 'ECNALUBMA' : That's why I recommended methylene chloride to Chuck - it's only carcinogenic!