Ignition: Tiny little screws!

[Jeffry Cassel]

At 79, there are a lot of things that are challenging that used to be easy, I'm not sure this ever was. My 49 Commander did not start up after it's epic gas tank clean up so it sat. It finally started after replacing points condenser - twice - and coil - twice ! Anyone whose done this knows what a challenge it is with the distributor underneath the coil and under the fancy wire loom. I bought a new set of DeWalt magnetic screwdrivers To put those tiny little screws back in. Do not waste your $ on DeWalt magnetic screwdrivers. They are NOT magnetic. So, of course I dropped 2 of the little devils into the deep recesses of ??. Had to order screws. While I waited I had one of those rare good ideas. Got the new screws, trimmed one to fit , and super glued it to the screwdriver. Made it easy to screw the new points down! And the screw driver came off easily.

[jackb]

I pull the dizzy when performing under the cap replacement. Easy point setting too.

[tsenecal]

For hard to reach places, I use a screwdriver like this: https://www.amazon.com/Draper-Qualit...RRQ/ref=sr_1_5

[bensherb]

I use a similar screw holding screw driver for such things, like this one at Home Depot.
https://www.homedepot.com/pep/GEARWRENCH-Slotted-Screw-Starter-with-Magnetic-Pickup-End-2282D/205593353?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&pla&mtc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D25H-025_001_HAND_TOOLS-NA-Multi-NA-PLALIA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-Hand_Tools_PLATEST&cm_mmc=SHOPPING-BF-CDP-GGL-D25H-025_001_HAND_TOOLS-NA-Multi-NA-PLALIA-NA-NA-NA-NA-NBR-NA-NA-NA-Hand_Tools_PLATEST-21934288064-173688791471-2391144885293&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21934288064&gbraid=0AAAAA Dq61UeHrNcQ8uD0ERqWBEaDfiEDM&gclid=Cj0KCQjwzt_FBhCEARIsAJGFWVkoeGjuU5sLN77ljRQHg C--8rs2-yLPEF_xJOArBWZL1cSIRJBDD_QaAvFrEALw_wcB

When I read the title for the post I thought it was going to be about tiny screws, not the huge ones in the distributor. It made me look because I couldn't think of any screws in a car that would fit that description.
I routinely deal with screws many, many times smaller. Some I can't even see without many times magnification. They require special drivers; I can't even tell what the drive looks like they're so small. If you have an I phone take a look at the screws on either side of the charging port, they're tiny! If I remember right they're 0.08 mm , 31 thousandths of an inch.

[Jeffry Cassel]

OMG! My shop teacher assembled tiny little electric trains with screws so small he needed a jeweler's loupe to install them. You might have that beat - by a lot!

[altair]

You can magnetize a screwdriver by wrapping a coil of insolated wire around the shaft then strike it on a battery

[Jeffry Cassel]

If someone could invent a screwdriver with a battery in the handle and a coil around the shaft???

[altair]

You wrap a wire around the screw driver shaft with several coils then one end of the wire goes to the positive and the other end goes to the negative with just a strike only. This will magnetize the shaft. You can only magnetize iron, cobalt and nickel, stainless will not magnetize.

[Big Dan]

Stainless steel shafts alloyed with Chromium and not Nickel WILL magnetize. Plus, stainless steel trim pieces made with Chromium instead of nickel WILL hold a magnet! So don't be fooled with the old man's tale that you can tell the difference between stainless and chromed steel trim pieces on your vehicle by touching it with a magnet and thinking it will not stick to stainless steel. There are 32 available alloys of Stainless Steel. Thos alloyed with Chromium and no or low amounts of Nickel WILL attract a magnet! Every piece of "stainless steel" trim on my truck attracts a magnet!

[E. Davis]

Your friendly snap-on man has a screw holding driver for both straight and phillips head in his distributor file. I have one of each that I have had for years and because they are mechanical and not magnetic they will last a lifetime. Now that I think about it a minute it could be a good simple tool like that has been replaced with some techno marvel from China and not available anymore but check them out anyway if you can.

[64LarkLover]

Jeffrey, thanks for the tip with the glue as I have a 64 Lark windshield wiper rocker switch to I need to replace. I'm not worried getting the screws out, but screwing them back in with the new switch assembly was a concern of mine.

[Jeffry Cassel]

Tried to order magnetic screw starters from Home Despot but apparently they really do not want to sell anything too badly! Oh, well, super glue is still cheap at HF.

[Big Dan]

As stupid as this sounds, I have found that putting a small blub of thick grease on the screw driver and then sticking the screw to it will usually hold it long enough to get it to start!