Hold on to your sockets... (and nuts!)

[moggiesgalore]

Whilst preparing the windscreen surround on my convertible for a repaint, I needed to remove the bonnet hinges (old ones manky anyway). So, I grovelled around in the gloveboxes with my top quality ratchet and socket.

Suddenly I hear that annoying clunk as the socket detaches itself and then another lower clunk. No problem I thought, it'll have dropped down into the footwell........... Unfortunately no, it has gone down through the open top of the kidney panel and dropped into the inside if the A post! I have tried a flexible claw and a magnetic pick up tool all to no avail.

Now i'm peed off because my expensive socket set has one missing (which I can't get individually) and every time I brake i'll probably hear the sound of the socket rattling around!

I know I could resort to cutting and welding, but haven't got the heart especially when the car is nearly finished!

[Orkney]

How big is the access hole you have to potentially retrieve it from the top?

[moggiesgalore]

Not very big. I can get my fingers about a third to half the way down either side of the kidney section, but the socket could be underneath that so no hope.

[MoggyTech]

I always stuff a rag into that opening for this very reason (remove it after work finished).

Are your sockets magnetic? or rather made of steel that can be picked up by a magnet? If so, pop into Maplins and buy a pack of there 'Super Magnets'.

The only hard part, is getting the magnet down low enough, as it will instantly attach itself to the panels. So, tie it to a piece of string, and tape it to a piece of welding filler rod. If the socket will stick to a magnet, one of these things will get it out, believe me.

Push the magnet down the gap with the welding rod, and pull it out with the string.

Failing that, borrow a body roller

[Orkney]

yes but how big the hole? could you get a peice of pvc plumbing pipe down there e.g.
If you can then bored (think polo mint) a £2 neodymidium (super strength) magnet that fits inside the pipe & some string might be your answer - theory goes you put stringed magnet in the end of the pipe - stops it sticking (and by god it will stick) to the steel on the way down.
Get the pipe on the socket, use a stick or end of a fishing rod to push the mag out of the pipe.
It's then stuck to the socket, remove the pipe from the string/cord and carefully retrieve socket.

Lot of people havn't seen these magnets yet, but they are now cheap on fleabay even, put it like this if you had 2 the size of a 50p and 1/4 thick theres a good chance they will fracture your bone if they snapped together either side of your little finger.
If you can get one locked on the socket then that bind should allow you to retrieve it without it wanting to stick to the body of the car.
Its worth a go for the time & cost rather than chopping the car to bits initially.

[bigginger]

Orkney's method might just work, but I wouldn't count on it. I lost a nice lighter down there once - didn't get it back until it was time to replace the sill, 2 or 3 years later
a

[dunketh]

What about somehow directing the hose from a powerful vacuum cleaner down there?

Maybe attach it to some flexible hose or something.

Then empty the van to retrieve the socket.

[Spag]

Turn it upside down and shake it

[bigginger]

What about somehow directing the hose from a powerful vacuum cleaner down there?

Maybe attach it to some flexible hose or something.

Then empty the van to retrieve the socket.

Again. you would have to be incredibly lucky, and spend an awful lot of time finding a pipe that would fit the gap and making an adapter so that it would fit the vacuum cleaner
a

[Orkney]

What about somehow directing the hose from a powerful vacuum cleaner down there?

Maybe attach it to some flexible hose or something.

Then empty the van to retrieve the socket.

Again. you would have to be incredibly lucky, and spend an awful lot of time finding a pipe that would fit the gap and making an adapter so that it would fit the vacuum cleaner
a

Its a good idea - except the socket is cylindrical & has a hole right through it - so if it was sat upright youd be better off doing a lucky dip odds wise.
Can see that working for other things though, get good strong vac and some of tha flexible ribbed electrical conduit - gaffer tape that airtight to the end of the vacuum flexi hose and it would pick stuff up

[Bluesman]

Small electro-magnet on a cable. Slide it down all the way to the bottom, energize it & pull up. Hopefully you get a socket. If not, redo from start until done.

How to find/make an electromagnet that is small yet powerful is the clue here. But it´s an idea, long shot or not

/R

[moggiesgalore]

Thanks for all your suggestions people! I may try the electromagnet idea, nothing to lose (apart from the electromagnet maybe!) I have a car roller, but have also just been diagnosed with a hernia so am not too keen on that idea!

[bigginger]

Do visualise the space you're reaching down into - the kidney panel fillls most of it, but good luck with it.
a

[d_harris]

To be honest rather than mess around with magnets I would just cut a small hole with a rotary tool like a dremel (and yes, I have cut bodywork with a dremel-alike and it worked suprisingly well) and reweld - a whole load less time and hassle.

[bigginger]

Seconded (including the Dremel bit )
a

[d_harris]

My Dremel was an amazingly useful tool when I was doing the major welding work - not only because I could get it where I couldn't get the welder but it was so accurate it wasn't true. Brilliant stuff.

[les]

Why not try with some stiff wire bent into a hook(gas welding rod) and fish about, often works, admittedly more by luck if you can't see it.

[bigginger]

Again, the kidney panel blocks access to most of the area it will have landed in
a

[d_harris]

Just cut it and have done!

[les]

What goes down comes up!