I think I'm in trouble:-(

Hi all. I was trying to remove the corroded drain plug in the tub to redo the enamel, but instead of the drain unscrewing (I used pliars) the crosshair piece broke once..tried again and broke another crosshair piece.. I imagine dynamite may damage the tub itself. Any suggestions?

The cross hair peice just keeps stuff from going down the drain and functioned to screw the thing together when first installed.
If you have a grate or something above the crosshair dealy then it seams to me there is no need for the crosshair dealy.

for lack of a beter word crosshair dealy

Inorder to get the tub waste and overflow out you will have to destroy it.
This is where a plumber doing service work starts to earn his keep and you may know what im saying if you try replace the tubwaste and overflow.

You have to saw that peice into sections that used to have the crosshair dealy in it. Use a sawzall or a hacksaw type dealy. After you have it cut at say 6 O'clock 8 O'clock and 4 O'clock you chisel it out. Getting all this done without further damage to the tub takes a little practice. I always worry about the sawzall blade chipping a big chunk out of the tub. You need access to the backside of the tub. Think access panel. It can also be done from under the tub if it is open to a basement or crawlspace. Everything pretty much just screws together its not really rocket science but will make you scream uncle sometimes. The first one you do will probably leak too.

Goodluck

Getting the old one out may be a little bit of a trick, but replacing it with a new plastic one should be a snap. Make sure you have help though. Being in 2 places at once is a deffinate trick. IMPORTANT: DO NOT get help from your spouse. Ask someone you don't like to help you. That way, when the cussing stops it doesn't matter if they don't speak to you again. PS. Assemble the new drain and overflow exactly as the old one is before installing it. Be careful not to lose the rubber rings. You will drop them more than once. Good luck. Rick

sometimes i'll just saw a little slot in the dohickie. then take a flathead srewdriver and insert it into the slot. then take a hammer and hit the srewdriver forcing the drain to turn counter clockwise.

be careful not to hit it too hard, because you don't want to damage the tub.

also, if the crossmember isn't totally damaged, you can go to the department store and purchase a tub drain remover. (use this tool to insall the new drain as well)