Appreciation post: An old wrench trick for a stripped bolt on a Cessna 172

I was working on a Cessna 172's landing gear assembly last week and ran into a badly stripped bolt head. I tried the usual extractor sockets with no luck. An old mechanic I used to work with in Wichita always said to try a slightly oversized 12-point socket and a good, solid tap with a hammer to seat it. I was sure it wouldn't work, but I gave it a shot. The socket bit right in and I got the bolt out without any more damage. Has anyone else had success with this method on airframe hardware?

4 comments

4 Comments

zarat382mo ago

My uncle who worked at a small FBO in Texas swore by that 12-point socket trick for Phillips head screws on inspection panels. He said the sharp corners bite into the rounded edges better than a 6-point. I get what @jakewhite is saying about it not being flight critical, but drilling out a bolt on a landing gear plate can still mess up the threads in the nut plate. That turns a ten minute job into a real repair. That hammer tap method has saved me from that more than once.

jakewhite2mo ago

Honestly, is a stripped bolt on a 172 really that big of a deal? It's not like it's a flight control cable. I've seen guys spend an hour on a simple bolt when a little heat and a good whack would've done it. What's the worst that could happen, you have to drill it?

ivan7741mo ago

Man, that 12-point trick saved me on an old truck's brake caliper bolt once. Same deal, hammer tap and it gripped where nothing else would.

roberts.leo2mo ago

Old tricks like that saved my bacon more times than I'd like to admit, @jakewhite. Sometimes the simple fix is the right one.