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MG MGA - Garage floor ate my screws!!!

Greetings all,

Cloths dyers eat socks..obviously! Dog eat homework.. in a pinch! Now my garage floor has eaten the wire fixing screws used on the rheostat! %#*!
When I finished the "hobby garage" I used two part epoxy paint that has those niffty little sprinkle flakes that give the floor that professional finish look. However, at some point while wiring the dash harness up, those screws went missing. I have looked so long I'm going to have to make an appointment with my eye doctor for a new set of glasses as I'm now cross-eyed. I'm sure they will turn up somewhere, sometime. But for now, do any of you folks have an old, crappy rheostat that you wouldn't mind taking the fixing screws from and selling to me? Cheers!
Robert Maupin

Bob,
If you mean the panel lights rheostat, wouldn’t any two screws from any light switch work?
David Werblow

Greetings Bob,

Work? Perhaps. However, most switch screws don't have the correct "shouldered" head that holds the wire end ring in place. Most wires are bare and are held under the screw whereas the rhestat screws are not. Thanks!
Robert Maupin

Ah yes, the downside of a speckled floor! I can't help with screws, but my suggestion in the meantime is to empty and clean your shop vac, and then vacuum the floor well. The screws will probably then be in the shop vac where you can easily recover them. Also vacuum the car in case that's there they fell!
Steve S

Old hard-contact trick:

Put your head to the floor and look across the surface of the floor.

They also make magnetic sweepers for just such purposes. It is a magnetic bar with wheels that you roll across the floor. They don't work well for fiber washers or stainless hardware though.
Chuck Schaefer

Robert, Robert, Robert,
I am surprised at you. As a person who frequently disassembles equipment of all types as well as just tinkering with anything that is mechanical or electrical, I have known for years that garage floors, kitchen floors, bedroom and office floors as well as many other types of floors do indeed eat screws, washers, and anything that they can get their grubby little jaws around. You really have to watch carpeted floors, as they seem to be especially ravenous. Unfortunately, there is no remedy for this, except a high-edged work table, where the parts hopefully will stay on the table when you drop them. Feeding the floor with an abundance of nuts, bolts and screws before you start your project will only increase its hunger, and is actually detrimental to your sanity, and I advise against trying it.
Steve and Chuck seem to have the best answer for locating the missing screws, as garage floors have digestive problems with both vacuums and magnet strips and have been known to regurgitate items taken years before when confronted with either of these.
Sorry, I don't have a rheostat for you.
Mike
Mike Parker

Me again,

Hey, I tried placing my head at floor level seeking a raised object. Even pull out the old flashlight and shined it across the floor. This is usually a never fail system but alas.... They may well be off the floor caught in a crack or mini shelf area. Who knows. I really don't have the, whatever it takes, to continue seeking something so small, especially if someones out there has a few they could send my way. I'm at the point where I'm ready to place them home so wouldn't run the risk have having any replacements go missing. Any offers would be much appreciated.
Cheers!
Robert Maupin

They will be in the tyre treads in the near future and cause a puncture!

Pessimistically

Steve
Steve Gyles

Too tiny! But, thanks Steve for the cheery thought. I bet you're loads of fun at funerals. Smile!
Robert Maupin

Robert,
Email me directly - I think I have an old rheostat, but need to check the screws in it are what you are looking for.
My new garage floor just last week ate a clip for the vinyl piping strip that should go on the top of the dash. But this is probably replaceable, or 7 will have to do the job.
Peter.
P. Tilbury

Robert

Just done the same, except my screw driver bits are somewhere on the car floorboards. Had all the carpets out. Not a sign anywhere.

Trouble is, bits lost can migrate into dangerous places. Once I had a runaway aircraft tailplane fully nose down just as I was starting my take-off run. I aborted take-off and all was ok. They found a hydraulic blanking plug lodged in a valve in the hydraulic tailplane motor. It turned out that a tradesman dropped it while servicing the unit. Instead of reporting it and getting a minor wigging, he just went to stores and got another one. One of my 9 lives used up!

Steve
Steve Gyles

Robert,

Did the snow eat them?

David....
David Honness

Once while refitting the gear lever extension, I dropped a small 1/2" socket, and couldn't find it. Three or more years later when I was taking out the engine with gearbox, I found it between the gearbox and the tunnel!
Robert - got your email. Expect some mail from me later today.
Peter.
P. Tilbury

Found my screw driver bits. I had been fitting the replacement gear stick from Hi-Gear and lost one of those strange modern screwdriver bits needed to remove the old dome head machine screws that came with the kit 10 years ago. It was lodged between the underlay and carpet I have wrapped round the tunnel. I searched for 2 hours before finding it.

Steve
Steve Gyles

Robert/Wes,
You should receive snail mail in about a week if the man with the cleft stick at Canada Post is not on holiday!
Peter.
P. Tilbury

Greetings Peter,

Thakns again for helping out! Albeit brief, it was nice talking to you.

Wes
Robert Maupin

This thread was discussed between 27/02/2010 and 03/03/2010

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