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Taking pedestal apart, any advice?

tyrguy

Member II
We are going to take the pedestal apart so we can install a guard and new compass. does any one have pics of the process or any advice on a easy way.
 

Rhynie

Member III
It is pretty straightforward; just don't overtighten on the segment that has the throttle and shift controls when you put it back together, that piece is plastic. Also, it is an excellent opportunity to drop small parts down inside the pedestal into the black hole under the cockpit floor. I would oil the chain and try to get some down into the cable ends while it you have it all open.

Good luck
 

Emerald

Moderator
Once you remove the compass and are looking down into the pedestal, stuff a rag under it all so if you drop something, you can fish it out.
 

tyrguy

Member II
Too late

Too late on the rag idea.
Any ideas on how to get a dropped nut out of the bottom of the pedestal ?
How much play should there be in the throttle lever?
 

Emerald

Moderator
If you can't see it, and it's really fallen to the bottom (not sitting on something to bind up later), it will take less time to drive up to your local chandlery and buy a new one than it will to fish out the lost one. Ask me how I know :rolleyes:
 
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Glyn Judson

Moderator
Moderator
Dang, I know that was going to happen!!

Ken, Been there, done that. The bilge in our boat is 44" deep and I dropped something down there years ago that I had to get back. A magnet wouldn't work, Sven wasn't there to offer his Shop-Vac so what was I to do? Several weeks ago you might have read the thread here in which butyl tape http://www.filmtools.com/butyl.html was discussed. It's like bubble gum that never hardens and is good for bedding stuff. I was at a loss as to how to retrieve the object until I thought about that roll of butyl tape I had in the dock box wound around the end of my boat washing brush handle. If you can see the nut at all, do what I did but in your case, buy an appropriate length of small diameter wooden dowel or two, tape them together and buy one of these rolls (RV stores carry them for aluminum and glass sealing). Make a blob of the tape, stick it to the end of the dowel and go fishing. You will not believe how sticky that tape is. Simply lower it over the nut, press down for 5-10 seconds and that nut's there to stay. If everything you've tried including that fails, you'll have to remove the four screws that go through the cockpit sole that attach the base and get it that way. Even that isn't all that a big deal, after all you'll only have to tilt the base enough to grab the nut with some mechanical fingers or the like. At that point if it's ferrous, a small magnet on a telescoping handle will work perfectly inside the aluminum base. Be sure to rebed before reassembly. OK, so there's an alternative to add to the Shop-Vac trick. Don't keep us in suspense, curious minds want to know, tell us how you eventually get it out. Glyn Judson, E31 hull #55, Marina del Rey, CA
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
Plan C (or D...)

Speaking of the shop vac......
If you want to retrieve a small part that is several feet down there, just get a piece of clear vinyl tubing about an inch or so in diameter that is a bit longer than the reach you need. Put a piece of screen door mesh material across the top and fold over. Duct tape that (now filtered) top to the end of the vac hose. Turn 'er on and feed the clear tube down the the narrow access carefully...
Hopefully you will see (maybe even hear) the "thunk" as the errant piece of gear comes up against the screen and lodges there until you remove the tubing and only then turn off the vac.
Odd Idea courtesy of RGE (Rube Goldberg Engineering).

Have fun!
:)

Loren
 
You may need an impact-driver

I recently took apart the pedestal on my '79 E-35. It took about 3 hours with using an impact driver and lots of "Liquid Wrench" on the screws as they were all pretty corroded. When I re-assembled I wire-brushed all the screws and applied "Never-Seize" to all the screw-holes.
If an impact-driver doesn't loosen the screws after 4 or 5 hits you should let the "Liquid Wrench" do it's work for at least a half hour before trying again, or you can try heating with a torch (if you do this you'll probably have to to re-paint the pedestal part that gets heated).
 
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