I was replacing trucks on some cars that I bought on eBay and came across two that had #8 sheet metal screws in them. What is wrong with some people, do they just not see the difference or do they just not give a darn. I see this all the time, even at work with expensive electronic equipment. The so called technician will lose a #6/32 threaded screw and jam in a #8 or # 10 Sheet metal. If I ever caught anybody doing that I would fire them on the spot. The screws holding on the truck were so big that one cracked the underbody of the car. I don’t know how I’m going to fix this. I once used “liquid aluminum” and a popsicle stick to fix a hole in my oil pan. I haven’t looked, but is there something like liquid plastic? :thinking:
I recall something called Epoxy for Plastic. I believe it was epoxy with some sort of solvent in the mix. It smelled of acetone but was two part. Had about a 30 minute drying time. It worked very well patching plastic hot tub components when all other plastic and epoxy cements failed. I got it at a OSH if I recall corerectly.
Thanks, I plan on going to the hardware store tomorrow to see what’s available and this helps. I’ll keep my eyes open for epoxy type products. I don't know a whole lot about plastics except that you got to have the right stuff or it will not stick. It will have to be able to fill in the hole and also be drillable.
Why not just use gap filling CA or regular CA not the real fast set stuff and some accelerator then drill and tap this is what I have done in the past works like a charm. Allen.....
I didn’t know there was such a thing as gap filling CA. I have regular CA and I thought about it, but I remember having some joints come apart in the past. I don’t have my CA in front of me and I may be wrong but if I remember right the joint had to be fairly tight for regular CA.
If the car floor is styrene you can plug the hole with a piece of plastic sprew from an old kit. Cement it in with a solvent type glue and let it dry. Cut off the excess, file it flush with the bolster and drill a new hole.
I guess its styrene. It’s an old Atlas box car. If the gap filling CA is going to work, that might be the easiest way. Although I do have small pieces of styrene left over from other projects. I would like it to look like it was new. It’s still early here so I probably will wait a while before heading out.
Has the screw spread the underframe so it is out of shape? I would agree with gap filling CA. But also try a clamp to close the cracked area. Boxcab E50
And while the CA is curing, you can track down the IDIOT who used the wrong screw, shave his head, and glue the hair back on with fast-setting CA!! Now THAT would be 'poetic justice!':tb-biggrin:
I'm Fired! That wouldn't be the first time. Fired myself for using non-regulation screws. I do use screws that I have on hand to fill-in for a lost screw. I do my best to use the same size and thread so that I don't break anything. Does that count? I was working on a friends O scale FP45. A dual engined monster. He lost a screw that held the motor in place and was hoping I could fix it. I took a screw out of the dummy unit (non-powered) and it proved to be the same size and thread. I then shuffled through a box of screws and found a similar screw that had the same threads and I was able to put them both back into operation. Big grin on his face as he was sure all was lost. I can only agree that using larger screws with anything put the proper thread should be outlawed.
I admit that sometimes there is no way around it if the thread is damaged or just not there anymore. At work I usually have my 3-way tap and quickly tap out the hole for next size screw. We had a problem with some equipment once and having a heck of a time trouble shooting it. When I finally removed the circuit board, I found a large self taping screw sticking into it from the outside case. And just recently we got new radios in our trucks and the installer drove a screw right through the speaker. We mounted that one the wall. I’m not sure what the original size screw was, but to go from maybe a #0-48 threaded to a #8 round head sheet metal screw was ridiculous. I wish I would have taken a photo of this thing. The screw head was so big that it would have got stuck on any switch point or rerailer. The truck wasn’t even movable.
JohnnyB., I agree with the idea of tapping out the hole for a larger screw. I've done that a time or two, as well. Another thing I've done is take my dremel tool, a cut off disc and shortened the screw...as needed. A little creative thinking can usually solve a problem before an object is broken beyond repair. Changing the subject: We may see more snow here in the mountains of Southern California. Great skiing weather...at the present. Sorry, no trains running in Big Bear Lake, Ca. Till later!
