Budman68

OK, I've tried a magnet, vacuum with a tube on the end, squeezing my hand thur the floor vent, etc. Is there a way to recover bolts that drop down in the black hole? I've dropped to wiper door bolts down there and no luck recovering either.

PeteZO6

They go through a worm hole and end up in another universe! At least it seems that way.

I took the lower side panels out and removed the speakers. I could not find those suckers. I lost two shouldered bolts and two plastic bushings. Luck for me the local Corvette shop, Corvette World in Rancho Cordova, CA had them in stock, and sold just the number I needed.

If I ever do that job again, I think I will stuff shop rags down there first so hopefully no more parts will disappear.

Cheers,
Pete

Budman68

You would have thought I would have been smart enough to know better after losing one. There has to be a way to get them out.

68L71

When I took my heater and blower out I found two wiper door bolts in there that I could not reach any other way.

Budman68

Probably need to clean that out after summer. I just ordered another set on evel bay, so at least now I will have some extras.

chvet73

That must be the place my 1/2" combo wrench went. Still haven't got it out. At least it does not rattle.

Jim Shea

Here is tip that I learned from a steering column engineer at Saginaw. It prevents a problem with parts falling into your defroster ducts. It isn't exactly the same but certainly similar. It is particularly well suited for working on the horn, telescope lock adjust, and other minor things where you need to disassemble the upper end of the steering column but you don't need to remove it from the car.

Take a large towel and roll it up the long way. Leave a short tail. Stuff the towel up between the windshield and dash pad. Let the short tail hang over the instrument cluster forming a table. As you disassemble the steering column, place the small retainers, screws, plates, etc up on the towel from left to right in the order that you remove them. The towel forms a nice no-slip table and prevents the small parts from dropping down your defroster ducts and becoming a permanent part of your air distribution system. When you go to reassemble the column, your parts are all handy and in the correct order for reinstallation. Do this in conjunction with digital pictures!

Jim

Ganey

Buddy
A good magnet on the end of a coat hanger wire will work from the cowl.
The magnet can usually be pried off an old small speaker.

Adding a strip of foam can prevent the issue in the future.

Merlinhaggard

Big Hole saw...

...Roger...

If I remember right that area wedges down and is unreachable with your hand.Under the body is drain for that area.You should be able to find the drain by pouring in a cup of water.Then take your air hose and blow up through the drain using your magnet or magnets from the top at the same time.You should be able to snag your bolts.

70Yellowbird

I had the same problem ... lost pivot bolt washers and 2 sockets. I recovered the washers by flushing them out with a water hose. I had given up on them and was really only trying to clean out the dead leaves, etc., and I found the washers under the car when I was done flushing.

I got the sockets out and an old rusted wiper door bolt (lost at the factory?) with a magnet on a length of heavy copper wire. Sometimes the lost parts get hung up partway down in that area and don't get to the bottom where they are easier to get at by removing the damper behind the kick panel. I got 1 socket out with a magnet through there.

Some year Vettes have screens covering the top of the openings in the wiper door area. I'm adding homemade ones cut out of brass screen material ... not sure yet how to fasten them into place.

Easy Mike

I've got a 6" 3/8 drive ratchet extension in the black hole on my passenger's side. Been there for years.

C3 4ME

Oops, you lost a bolt down the cowl, sounds like time for a frame off resto!

68/70Vette

I removed my entire wiper door mechanism (1970). I was surprised how loose bolts, nuts, etc went straight for the cowl opening and disappeared. It was like some sort of a vacuum was just sucking them in. Sort of a Bermuda Triangle for lost parts. I was able to grab a couble of errant sockets that were rolling straight for the opening. I finally stuffed a wad of paper rag in each opening.

Incidentally, removing these little reduced shank bolts that hold on the wiper door, I was surprised to find that one sheared off, remaining in the door (actually it looks more like a lid, but it's called a door). I removed the remaining three, and then discovered that a fragment of another bolt had sheared off also. Now I had two sheared off bolt shanks to remove. Seems that this is a common problem. Paragon has experience removing them, so I'm sending the door there for repair. If you ever re-install these bolts, use anti-sieze. The door is pot metal

Alan 71

I know someone who has a magnet tied to a string STUCK down in the 'black hole'.
Regards,
Alan

7T1vette

A strong bar-type magnet on a string will get them almost every time. It needs to be on a 'string' so it can fall into the same place as the bolt(s). Next time, put a shop towel over the opening so that can't happen.

400hp427vette

However use an earth magnet this will pickup the bolt even it doesnt hit the mark.

Budman68

Great ideas. Will have to go magnet shopping the weekend and get the fishing rod out.