Windshield hole is stripped.....

[dltang]

I guess I took my windshield off one too many times. The hole for the screw in now stripped. bjt is sure he can repair it and I have the utmost confidence in him. I am just wondering has anybody else had this happen? What did you do? Ideas and suggestions are always welcome. Thanks.
Deb

 

[Lamonster]

If it were me I would either tap the holes to 1/4" 20 and use knobs instead of bolts or I would run 1/4" 20 bolts from the back side and use knobs instead of bolts.
http://www.hartvilletool.com/product/10925

 

[bjt]

I think I'll look into putting Heli-Coil inserts into both our Spyder windshield mounting holes. The tooling department at work uses them quite a bit and they seem to work well in an industrial environment. At work, they are mainly used when putting tapped holes in aluminum as those threads would wear out quickly if it was just the aluminum threads. Looking at the threads in the holes and at the metal piece that the threads are tapped into, it appears to be some type of cast metal. I would guess the screws are harder metal than that cast metal so that is why they could be prone to stripping. It's probably fine for a one or two time R&R of a windshield but for those of us that may be swapping shields occasionally, it's safer to beef up those threads in some way. Whatever we / I decide, I'll be sure and post results, parts, costs, etc. for whoever may want to know.

EDIT: I just did a little Google search and found quite a few places that sell a Heli-Coil repair kit for $20 - $25 and that includes 12 of the thread inserts, a tap and the installation tool. Not a bad price and I think it will work better than another thread repair product that I saw online which looked like it was some type of epoxy that you put in the hole and then put the screw in. I wouldn't have much confidence in that and I wonder if the screws would be removable afterwards. To me, a big benefit of the Heli-Coil is that you buy the size you need for the stock screw and then use the same screws that were originally in the part. It's not like drilling and tapping out the hole bigger and then getting bigger screws to use.

 

[Spyderryder798]

oh yes, that one happened to me as well.
Not only did I strip 2 of the 4 windshield holes, but I also stripped one of the side mirror mounting holes...on BOTH sides.

I thought that by re-threading the holes, it would make them bigger than they were at the stock size.

So, my bright idea......change the whole piece.
Actually, it wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be.

 

[bjt]

So you changed that whole metal piece that the windshield and mirrors mount on? What is it made out of and are you doing anything to prevent the holes from getting stripped out again?

 

[SpyderMark]

Not a bad price and I think it will work better than another thread repair product that I saw online which looked like it was some type of epoxy that you put in the hole and then put the screw in. I wouldn't have much confidence in that and I wonder if the screws would be removable afterwards.

I wouldn't discount the epoxy solution so quickly. Many of today's industrial adhesives cure to a hardness rivaling metal. I owned an AA-5 Traveler (four-seat, single-engine piston aircraft) for nearly a decade. The major components of the aircraft were bonded together, a bond which held strong and true for 4000+ flying hours since it was built in 1972.

If you're concerned about subsequent removal, apply a bit of wax on the threads of the bolt before applying the adhesive -- the wax between the the epoxy and the bolt prevents a bond.

I don't know what the kit you were referring to costs, but it shouldn't cost anything more than the epoxy kits at Wally-world. At least if you try the Wally-world product and it doesn't work for you, you're only out a couple of bucks. Just make sure you read the label and ensure the product will adhere to metal.

Adhesives are very process sensitive -- you must follow the directions carefully. If you don't throughly clean contaminants off the intended bonding surface you will severly compromise the bond. Adhesives especially don't like lubricants (especially silicones) and waxes.

Regards,

Mark

BTW,

 

[Spyderryder798]

yes, I had to change the entire piece that surrounds the headlights and it is a metal piece.
Not as bad of a price as I thought it would be...if i remember correctly, it was about $140.00

To prevent this from happening again?...well, I have just installed Marcels F1 windshield, so hopefully I will not have to remove it as often as I had to in the past.

Its actually much easier if you strip the bolts for the side mirrors.
Inside of that weird, plastic support bracket inside of the pod, the bolts can actually slip in and out of that unit, without having to replace the unit itself.

Another thing that I found out the hard way....
I ordered the entire plastic bracket that, I thought, had the bolts for the side mirrors (only about $30), but when it arrived, I discovered that the actual bolts for the side mirrors DO NOT come with the bracket.
You have to buy them separately.

This whole Spyder experience had definitely been interesting.
I love the bike itself, and I love the fact that I can fix most of the issues that arise, without having to drag the whole bike down to one of the few dealers thats within 50 miles of me.

And I live in the greater Los Angeles area.....how's that for poor planning on BRP's part?

 

[bjt]

I wouldn't discount the epoxy solution so quickly. Many of today's industrial adhesives cure to a hardness rivaling metal. I owned an AA-5 Traveler (four-seat, single-engine piston aircraft) for nearly a decade. The major components of the aircraft were bonded together, a bond which held strong and true for 4000+ flying hours since it was built in 1972.

If you're concerned about subsequent removal, apply a bit of wax on the threads of the bolt before applying the adhesive -- the wax between the the epoxy and the bolt prevents a bond.

I don't know what the kit you were referring to costs, but it shouldn't cost anything more than the epoxy kits at Wally-world. At least if you try the Wally-world product and it doesn't work for you, you're only out a couple of bucks. Just make sure you read the label and ensure the product will adhere to metal.

Adhesives are very process sensitive -- you must follow the directions carefully. If you don't throughly clean contaminants off the intended bonding surface you will severly compromise the bond. Adhesives especially don't like lubricants (especially silicones) and waxes.

Regards,

Mark

BTW,

Thanks for the info. I do know that adhesives and epoxies can work extremely well. However, I think the Heli-Coil process is sure to work instead of me trying out some epoxies to find one that works. I'm semi-adventurous but not in this case.

 

[Oxblood]

bjt, a Helicoil should work fine, as long as there is enough material surrounding the area into which you will be inserting the coil. As an example, many moons ago, in my hardcore mountain biking days, I had to fix the stripped threads in the magnesium alloy sliders of Rock Shox on numerous occasions (on my own, and for friends). The threads into which the brake posts would be inserted would strip from the camming action of the cantilever brake in no time at all. Once replaced with the Helicoil, it was stronger than the original thread.

 

[bjt]

bjt, a Helicoil should work fine, as long as there is enough material surrounding the area into which you will be inserting the coil. As an example, many moons ago, in my hardcore mountain biking days, I had to fix the stripped threads in the magnesium alloy sliders of Rock Shox on numerous occasions (on my own, and for friends). The threads into which the brake posts would be inserted would strip from the camming action of the cantilever brake in no time at all. Once replaced with the Helicoil, it was stronger than the original thread.

Thanks for that info. After doing some more research today, I found a product called EZ-LOK, which is a similar idea to a Helicoil except it is a solid threaded sleeve that threads into the hole. I am waiting on one or two places to give me pricing before i can decide. I found another product similar to the EZ-LOK called Time-Sert but that was about $100 for 5 inserts and the 5 tools that are required to install the insert. Additional inserts looked to be around $2 each. I am thinking that EZ-LOKs will be much cheaper as they use a standard drill and tap for installation which I will buy or borrow.

 

[Danimal]

I'm going to ditch using the screws altogether, or at least screw into them from the back and then use a nut to snug down... and then a nut or knob system to attach the shield. This can be done and it won't matter if your holes are stripped or not - because the threads will no longer be holding the pressure... the back side of the mount will.

This could be done for less that $20 at your local hardware store....

If you make new threads and continue to change shields often... you're going to run into this problem again and again.

 

[Lamonster]

I'm going to ditch using the screws altogether, or at least screw into them from the back and then use a nut to snug down... and then a nut or knob system to attach the shield. This can be done and it won't matter if your holes are stripped or not - because the threads will no longer be holding the pressure... the back side of the mount will.

This could be done for less that $20 at your local hardware store....

If you make new threads and continue to change shields often... you're going to run into this problem again and again.

:agree: http://www.spyderlovers.com/smf/index.php?topic=1022.msg8368#msg8368

 

[NancysToy]

Thanks for that info. After doing some more research today, I found a product called EZ-LOK, which is a similar idea to a Helicoil except it is a solid threaded sleeve that threads into the hole. I am waiting on one or two places to give me pricing before i can decide. I found another product similar to the EZ-LOK called Time-Sert but that was about $100 for 5 inserts and the 5 tools that are required to install the insert. Additional inserts looked to be around $2 each. I am thinking that EZ-LOKs will be much cheaper as they use a standard drill and tap for installation which I will buy or borrow.

Be careful with the EZ-Lok inserts. They require a bit more care to install properly. First, they require a bigger drill bit, and tap, so make sure you have enough meat in whatever you are putting them into. Second, they require the hole to be perfectly straight, to line up. Otherwise, the bolt won't thread back in, since it ends up at an angle to the threads. A drill press is the preferred method for drilling the hole, and starting the tap (in the chuck, by hand). Since this requires removing the entire monting plate, it could be a pain. Heli-Coils are a bit less demanding, in my experience, and do reinforce a hole in an alloy part quite nicely. Available in two depths, or they can be stacked.
-Scotty