Dropped a bolt down dizzy hole!!!

[dlampe]

I just can't believe I did this. We had just come back from the movies and I was going to run into the garage and torque the intake bolts one more time since I just replaced the gaskets that afternoon. There are 4 10-32 x3/4 allen bolts that hold a bell crank pedestal in the center of the intake.

This looked like a quick, won't get my good clothes dirty type of a project. So I proceeded to install the first two bolts and I fumbled!!

I dropped the third bolt and it bounced twice, hit the dizzy hole, I heard it bounce 2 more times (internally) then it was gone. I grabbed the magnet but there isn't a lot of room to fish around. It is likely in the oil pan but who the hell knows.

Now what?

[*13*]

I hope it's not a stainless bolt?
Different magnet. Something like this. use this part number 5322A25
McMaster-Carr

I hope it's in the pan. I dropped a carburetor jet the other day & it took me a couple hours to find the stupid thing. Always seem to end up in the most impossible place...

[DonC]

Your problem is the "who the hell knows" part. If it wasn't for that you'd be o.k.
Don't see much for it but to drop the pan. You could, of course, just run the engine and see what else gets ground up which would give you an idea of where it ended up but personally I'd drop the pan.
Another option would be to cut a 6" dia. hole in the bottom of the pan to give you room to get your hand up in there to feel around for it and then just JB Weld the hole up. Looks a little ugly and it's hard to get it to stick with all the oil dripping out of the hole but just keep trying it'll probably stick eventually. Shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks to get it right.
Hope this helps );-)
DonC

[Wbulk]

I did a similar thing once when I was a young man when I was rebuilding my uncles 351C. I can't remember the details but I believe it was an oil pump rod that for some reason came out with the distributor and then dropped back down the hole. It was missing the retainer clip. Just pull the pan and then you won't worry about it.

Wayne

[mickmate]

What about a telescoping magnet through the drain plug hole? They are small enough to come back out. You'll need to change out of your good clothes though Dean. Good luck with it.

[Jerry Clayton]

time to take your kid karting!!!

Can you jack your car up at various angles????to get the bold to roll toward the pan drain hole??might take several degrees like uo to 45* Drain the oil, and with a fairly strong magnet, you can drag the bolt toward the opening where you can get it with a smaller mag thru the hole--

[Tom Kirkham]

If you know where the bolt is, you might be able to get it with a magnet or mechanical fingers.

These work amazingly well.

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[gsharapa]

Dean,

I'd pull the pan so you can sleep at night. Hopefully it is in there but if not you may see it hung up above some where prior to restarting the engine as if it's some where it shouldn't be pulling the motor to repair will be a lot more work then dropping the pan now........We all have done stuff like this over the years but not many that would admit it.........

Hey on another note, I heard the guy that bought your RCR GT40 rolled it?

[mreid]

Dean, if it is a front sump pan, then 99% chance it is in the pan and can be retrieved by draining the oil. If it is a rear sump or road race pan, then it may be stuck in a baffle or pick up. I would drain the oil and see if it comes out. I'll bet it does. If not, then you have to pull the pan anyway. It is doubtful you will retrieve it with a magnet, too many things in the way. Good luck!

[Michael C Henry]

Did you test any of the remaining screws to see if they were attacted to a magnet?

[Bill Bess]

Perhaps the first thing would be to drain the oil, use a magnet and go fishing. Maybe using an air hose with a piece of tubing attached so you can blow air down through the top side and force the bolt down to the bottom.
Just take your time...fishing is fun.
Bill

[dlampe]

Well I cut the 6 in hole as Doc suggested. I have used JB weld to hold all kinds of things together so it was the option I was the most comfortable with.

After I cut the hole, I found the bolt hung up on the crank. It wasn't in the pan. I'm glad I cut the hole or I might never have found this little sucker. I have an old VW drain plate that will fit right over the hole. I think the JB weld will hold it in place until the RTV dries.

Thanks again for all you help. This is a great forum!

[Jerry Clayton]

I hope your kidding about JB weld on an oil pan that is going on a race track!!!!!

[blykins]

I dropped a little socket down the dist hole one time. It landed on a connecting rod. I drained all the oil and then turned the engine over until I heard it fall and clang against the oil pan. Pulled it out with a small magnet.

I hate to see you cut a big hole in the bottom of a pan Dean....and I agree with Jerry, JB isn't really a good adhesive under race conditions. Even welds sometime break on oil pans under heat and loading.

[gsharapa]

Have to disagree on statement not use JB Weld in race conditions. One of my past cobras we discovered an oil leak after installing the engine thinking it was the rear main. After taking the trans, clutch and flywheel out and inspecting the rear of the block it turned out that when the block was manufactured they must of mis threaded one of the oil galley plug holes and then forced the plug in and cracked the block. Really didn't want to take it all out and redo the engine so we use JB Weld to seal it up. Raced the car numerious times and it never leaked again. That stuff is awesome and I would use it again.....

[Jerry Clayton]

If I saw that you were running a glued on patch on the bottom of a oil pan, I would be the first in line to report you to the tech officials and I might further insist on you being banned from that organization for doing so----oil on the track is one thing, plus you will most likely crash when the 6 in patch falls off, along with every other car on the track!!!!

[Racer_X]

instead of JB Weld, why not just mig tacking it in place and then braze the edge of the hole closed?

[392cobra]

I find it really funny that anyone would not see that Dean is pulling y'alls leg about the JB Weld.

Do you really think he would do that instead of pulling the pan ? Come on now.

[Wbulk]

I have used JB weld a lot over the years. It works very well in the right application. However, I agree with others; don't use it for this. With the expansion and contraction of the heating and cooling process of the thin metal this would not be a good application. Take the pan off and weld it back up. That way you won't worry.

Fred, I hope he is!!

Wayne

[dlampe]

Thanks Fred, I was kidding. Come on guys, you know me better than that!

That kind of stuff happens way to often in our hobby.

I did drain the oil and tried to fish it out with no luck. I then took a large magnet and tried to drag it on the bottom of the pan to move the bolt towards the hole. No luck.

I stuck the tele-magnet in the dizzy hole to just do a little fishing, not really hoping to catch anything but I heard it hit the magnet and I ever so gingerly worked the magnet out of the hole. HOLY SH!T I had it!!!!!!

Can you believe that? That never happens. But today the Cobra gods were smiling on me. Time for a beer and thanks guys for playing along!

I just hope the intake gasket leak is fixed!