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Those are speed holes!

  • Thread starter Thread starter Billy Wyatt
  • Start date Start date
B

Billy Wyatt

Guest
I was removing the name plate screws from the gas tank to check out some rust and give it good cleaning when one of the heads twisted of the post. The screw was pretty rotten. Now I have this tiny screw post, flush with the hole, stuck.

Short off accidentally drilling a hole through my tank, does anyone have any creative solutions?

I thought of trying to Dremmel a grove for a flat screwdriver but it seems to carry a high risk of complete disaster.

Thanks
 
Mark the depth of the other hole on the proper size drill bit with tape so you dont bottom out and cautiously drill away.
 
Remember, gas or fumes + electric motor could equal explosion. Fill the tank with water first.

Paul
 
Woodsy said:
electric motor + water = electrocution..... lol
Click to expand...

This made me laugh! Very true indeed!

I would use a small tap and slowly drill it. The screw is small and short enough that you won't be drilling enough to generate much heat to be a danger. As stated above, mark the depth using the other hole and tape your drill bit. Go slowly!
 
I'd try someother method before drilling... It's a tiny and very short screw.. I can't imagine more than a couple threads are sticking. If you have purchase to what's left of the shank, maybe try epoxy-ing something that you can get ahold of with your fingers to it first? It would suck to slip while trying to drill that teeny weeny sucker out and have a hole in your tank.. Plus trying to retap that hole would be tough to do if you wanted to put the badge back on...
 
I'd probably take it to a machine shop and see if they could get it out. Not sure I would trust free handing drilling out that little screw. If you have access to a drill press that might be different.
 
You could use a stop on the drill bit. That would keep it from penetrating past the level of the stop. I'd use a left-handed drill bit, too -- small screws will often turn out the rest of the way when the drill catches.

The tank isn't made of Jello -- you're not going to accidentally punch through it unless you keep drilling for a while longer.
 
Actually it's pretty thin right there, I have had a few that were punctured when someone used a slightly longer screw.
 
Maddog209 said:
Seriously? It's not a hard repair!
Click to expand...

No not seriously, hence the :-\\\

Anyways I would seriously not even try to dig the screw out, you got 1 good post still and a decent surface area to the badge. I would epoxy that one side to keep it from shifting and use the screw in the front.

A dab of gorilla glue and your good to go.
 
I had a similar issue when I took apart my tank for a re-paint. I drilled it out with a bit that was undersize and managed to work it out of the hole. BE VERY CAREFUL THAT YOU DONT GO TO DEEP. Use a variable speed drill and work slowly. After I got it out the hole was a touch big so I opened it up to the next size and tapped it for an M4. If I recall correctly the originals are M3 screws. I used brand new screws when re-installing the badges. If you can't find replacement screws- hobby shops that sell RC Cars / Planes have all kinds of small hardware.
 
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