How do I crack the cussed thing open?

[Old Gringo]

I have an A-10 drop tank I am using for my lakester body.  It has a seam on the bottom with about a hundred phillips head screws that are the swastika-looking jobs (tighten only).  I need to break this seam so I can take the center piece out and shorten it.  How do I get these stupid screws out?  So far that have successfully destroyed several bits for my impact (the one you hit with a hammer) and the impact powered by air, and about 5 drill bits.  I think it is laughing at me.  Anyone have any experience with these?  You cant get to the nut inserts on the other side.

If you ever picked up one of those 100-piece-or-more security bit sets, you've probably run across this bit pattern and wondered, What type of screw does this fit? Browsing the Irwin site, I found the answer: Torq-Set — also know as Tee+Cross and offset cruciform. Apparently our friends in the aviation business see these all the time.

Maby this will help.
Torq-Set screws are supposedly tamper-proof, but not if you have the right driver bit. The offset cruciform design fits precisely in screw heads with less cam-out, and it can handle higher torque than the similar looking Phillips design. The ISO standard 7994:1985 specifies the parameters of the metric series.

Irwin makes Torq-Set bits in sizes #0 through #10. Their bits run a few bucks each, but many tool manufacturers make these bits, so you can find cheaper sets if you dig.



 
     

[Sumner]

sum how much af the tanks are you going to use   willie

I'll PM you so we don't get off topic here,

Sum

[Peter Jack]

Check out my post on the first page. I've edited it. It was a bad idea written in a moment of fatique.

Pete

[uglydog56]

It turns out the best way to remove the stubborn little beasts is to saw off the whole seam with a gas powered chop saw, which I rented but is definitely now on my christmas list.  The destructive power of one of those things is truly a sight to behold.  And yes the tank was inerted.  No explosions today.  Thanks for all the help.  I still have to buy the bit set to get a bunch of the access covers off.