924Board.org

[ideola]

Last weekend I started working on replacing the clutch in the 81 Weissach SE I picked up for my nephew a while back. There is one very important correction that needs to be made to the Tech Section article on clutch replacement by Jim Paisha.

Overall, the article is very good and very helpful. However, the instructions for removing the half shafts indicate that you can use a standard hex bit to replace the 12-pt-star bolts that are apparently standard issue on these cars (as all three of my 924s have 12-pt-star bolts and not hex bolts).

I attempted to remove two bolts with hex bits, one on each side of the half shaft, and nearly did myself in. The bolts are of relatively soft metal, and I definitely rounded off a couple of the points of the 12-pt-star on the two bolts I attempted. I would STRONGLY recommend that anyone attempting this job get the RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS JOB WITH HEX BITS. At that point, it was time me to stop for the weekend and order some tools.

After some degree of frustrating research, I discovered and ordered a Triple Square / 12 Point Metric Bit Set - 4 Pc from toolsource.com, manufactured by Lisle. Tonight, I was able to successfully remove all 12 bolts from the transaxle sides of the half shafts, even the one that I nearly ruined.

While this set is just the bits (they work just fine with a standard 1/2 inch socket on a ratchet or breaker bar), it is a significant savings over the socket bit offered by Performance Products in two versions: part number 906788 listed for $29.95 and part number 909968 listed for $24.95. Furthermore, as I understand it, the flywheel bolts use 12mm 12-pt-star bolts, so at $12.50, this set from toolsource is a GREAT buy.
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erstwhile owner of just about every 924 variant ever made

[My924gtc]

Oh and I thought you just stripped them out nice and round, busted out the drill and bored out the center of the bolt, smacked it with a mallet and screwdriver until the head popped off, then removed the CV joint and finished removeing the bolt with your fingers?

Right, that's just how I do it after someone cut the axel shafts in half and ruined them anyway.

I forget how much my AZ cheapo-bits were. Nice link though.