tim_briz

I am looking for good ideas...I will try and explain the situation without going into too much detail. I am trying to reassemble my 76 after I just finished painting it. I bought the car in pieces. I was putting the drivers side mirror on and a screw was broke off in the mounting plate that is riveted to the door (not sport mirrors). I decide that I will just drill out the screw and re tap the hole. Easy enough right. The drill bit somehow ceazed itself into the backing plate and when I tried to back it out the backing plate broke. Now I have a drill bit sticking out of the mirror mounting hole on my freshly painted door. I have tried to remove it with no success except for spinning it around and enlarging the hole in the door. I can not get any access through the inside of the door unless I remove the window and drill a hole. Am I missing something here any body got any good ideas...I am running out of tools to throw!!!!

gmcclurg

On my 77, the mirror mounting bracket is not riveted to the door, but held on with rubber gromets that have a threaded sleeve in them. As you tighten the screw in the threaded sleeve the rubber expends and tightens against the fiberglass. Vice grips usually work on stuck drill bits, but you have probably tried that
Good luck

goofygrin

Tim I thought you got rid of a 76 in pieces? :confused: :confused:

Anyway, the drill bit is spinning? but stuck in something behind the door skin?

You might pull the door panel, put the window all the way up and see if someone with a small arm can reach up and into the area (or use a flashlight, mirror, etc.) to see what the bit is caught on.

Can you push the bit in or out at all? If you can you might cut it off (carefully!) with a dremel and push it through and catch it on the inside?

Good luck!

tim_briz

This is another 76 that I got in pieces...I am a sucker...but this one is turning out to be more fun....The main problem is that I believe that you can not get to the inside of were the mirror mount is. There is a steel skin between the window area and the fiberglass out skin. I do not think that you can get to it without removing the outer fiberglass door skin. IF some could tell me differently that would be great.

I think that I can cut it but not sure if the other end will actually fall in the door or not. It seems that if I cut it then there will just be a short drill but sticking out of the door. I think that I am either going to have to cut on the front or back of the door.

Thanks for the help...just wondering if anyone had any bright ideas.

jerryp58

Any chance you can back it out as much as possible, cut it flush, and then tap it through?

7t2vette

The area of the door you are talking about is actually a steel channel that runs along the top of the door from front to back. The only way to get into it without cutting any holes in the door anywhere is to remove the door handle, because it sits in that channel at the rear. But, if you wanted to put something in there, or pull it out, you would have to do so with a long piece of wire or coat hanger. The reason I know this is because I replaced the little steel backing plate for the mirror mount. I had to pull the old one out with a piece of wire with a hook bent into the end, and put a new one I fabricated in with another piece of wire, this time with the new backing plate taped to the wire! It was not easy or quick, and I would not want to do it again! I don't know what to tell you, except good luck! Sorry!