Snap on box slide questions

[Ohmthis]

Hi all, I've got a KR660 that was built in 88. I need to clean up the slides as some are really stiff and sticky. I did spray some penetrating lube on some to see if they would free up and it helped a little. How do these come out? I see a screw that holds to the drawer, but haven't looked farther than that. What is the best way to clean these. I've read about brushing a solvent on them to soaking them in a tube full of kerosene. I have an email in to snap on in case some are just trashed. They are accuride slides, but I haven't found any other numbers yet. I'm getting as much info as I can before tearing into this box. It's at my dads shop and I can't leave it laying all around for months. Thanks for any help.

 

[Wamsutta]

They are bayonet drawer slides. The drawers and the inner walls of the box have open square windows punched into the sheet metal. The bayonets "hook" into the windows. When you open the drawer, you'll see 4 bayonets hooked into the drawer; one by each of the 4 corners of the drawer.

The first thing you do is empty the drawer out, then you remove those two small screws on each side of the drawer. After that, extend the drawer all the way out.

Now what you do is hold the left slide with your fingers as you pull up on the front left corner to disengage the front left bayonet.

Now with the left front bayonet still disengaged, support the drawer with your left hand as you disengage the front right bayonet with your right hand.

Now with the left and right front bayonets disengaged, go ahead and disengage the left rear bayonet by pushing the drawer rearward while pulling the left slide toward you with your thumb.

Now with both the left front, right front, and left rear bayonets disengaged; now go and disengage the right rear bayonet. With all 4 bayonets disengaged, pull the drawer away from the slides.

The slides are attached to the inner walls the same way as they are attached to the drawers using their bayonets.

Remember this: Gravity forces the drawer down into the front bayonets -- and the action of pulling the drawer out towards you forces the drawer into the rear bayonets.

 

[Ohmthis]

Ive seen that style before and have taken them apart. Maybe I should have looked closer before asking. What about cleaning them?

 

[Wamsutta]

Don't worry about it. Explaining the procedure is good exercise for my brain.

For cleaning the slides, believe it or not, GooGone works fantastic.

You just dip a toothbrush into a small jar of GooGone and start scrubbing the ball bearings. The bristles will get down in between the balls and pull out the gunk. Keep dipping and scrubbing the ball bearings across the whole length of the slide. When you get a greasy soup built up, mop it up with a towel.

For the larger areas that are coated in dust mixed with a film of sticky grease, dip a piece of white scotch-brite into the jar of GooGone and start scrubbing. Mop that soup up with a towel too.

It sounds like work but it's extremely easy. Your slides will look brand new again. The GooGone also provides a thin film of lubrication for the ball bearings, so you'll never need to add any oil.

 

[Ohmthis]

I started to take the slides off yesterday and the first two drawers that I took off came apart in pieces. I noticed that the slides are bolted (screwed) to the box too. I only tried to slide the slide back and forth, but they came apart. Should they do that? I assumed that they would come out similar to the drawer. I'm going back to where the box is this afternoon. Maybe slide it out so far and hope there is an access hole to the screw??? I already have a email in to snap on about acquiring slides that are too far gone. I hoping not to have to get all of them though. Thanks all.

 

[Wamsutta]

Yes you extend the slide out far enough to where the access window lines up with the screw head, then you remove the screw.

I've never had slides come apart on me.

 

[Ohmthis]

Ok, so just like I thought and what was suggested. I pulled the slide out so far on 4 slides worth of drawers. I unscrewed them and pulls the out. While sliding them back and forth with no weight or torque on them they twist apart. I think what has made the drawers hard to close is the twisting motion of the slides. They twist out of the outer slide when pulling them out. I'm worried this is going to cost me a fortune to replace these slides now. I'm going to see what snap on says about costs for the slides before I freak out.