This post has been around for a while now but by chance I ran into the same problem, I myself broke the socket 7 heatsink retention mechanism. It turns out that socket 7 and socket 370 are almost the same internally so it occurred to me to disassemble a Socket 370 and transplant the necessary part to the motherboard that had the broken socket 7, the internal difference of the socket 370 is that it lacks the hole for a pin that is present in the socket 7 but it is easy clear the missing hole.
I think this is the easiest fix for this problem, no need to desolder an solder a new socket.

Hoping, Ingenious ... but That's just Evil 😁

Makes me wonder though what would happen, a socket370 cpu on a socket7 mb. Which will fry first?

I don't have so many socket 7 motherboards to try that 😉

If the pins are all lined up you may be able to push it back on. In locked position the pins hold the whole assembly stronger to the motherboard with a cpu installed.

It doesn’t take much force to pull those pins out individually.

Btw, not all sockets use the same style pins/design internally.

Looking at the original picture in this thread it looks to me like there are possibly some leaky caps there too.

Thanks,that can always hapen but it's not the case and the board is very stable, it's the DFI I'm using in my actual project.
I shared this trick because I've thought that a lot of users can't desolder and solder a new socket, the only important steeps, are, protect the board to prebent scratches when lifting the socket and look for a 370 socket with the same kind of lever because that may indicate that it is made by the same bran and so it may be very similar internally.
I think that a socket 462 may also be compatible because the pins spacing is the same but didn't try it and it is missing more pin holes than the 370.

Hoping wrote on 2022-05-03, 14:49:

Thanks,that can always hapen but it's not the case and the board is very stable, it's the DFI I'm using in my actual project.
I shared this trick because I've thought that a lot of users can't desolder and solder a new socket, the only important steeps, are, protect the board to prebent scratches when lifting the socket and look for a 370 socket with the same kind of lever because that may indicate that it is made by the same bran and so it may be very similar internally.
I think that a socket 462 may also be compatible because the pins spacing is the same but didn't try it and it is missing more pin holes than the 370.

considering you're not the original thread starter, that comment wasn't about your board.
even funnier is that you made the exact remark about the original thread starters photo of the mainboard, more than a month ago, yet idan182 has since then not commented anymore on this thread.
typical confusion though, no worries 😀

O my god you are right, I'm very sorry, my memory is very vage sometimes.