Reply To: Transom Clamp Bolts REALLY Frozen

[Anonymous]

I was given a Mercury 400 that was attached to an old fiberglass boat. The owner of the boat wanted to keep the boat. The clamp screws had not been moved since the motor was installed when new in the 1960s and it sat outside it’s whole life. After trying heat from a map gas torch and solvent I went to plan B. Since this was out in a boat yard storage lot I went back home for more equipment. I returned with a generator and my dremel tool and HD cut off wheel. I sliced the underside of each clamp bracket lengthwise just deep enough to touch the threads of the screws. This allowed the bracket threads to expand and release the screw threads. I was able to loosen the clamps then and remove the motor from the boat. Then after running the screws all the way in and out and cleaning the threads, I vee’ed out the slots and welded the the slots shut. Followed by light grinding to blend the weld and Bob’s your uncle all done. No drilling and all the original threads were saved. Then I went and gave the motor away, and as it turned out was a good running outboard.