Screws Screwed Up

[thefish]

A quick, and possibly careless, forceful turn of the screwdriver and bam! Just like that the Phillips head on the diaphragm cover of the carb was stripped. There's got to be a better way.

Does anybody have any recommendations on which types of screws they like to use rather than OEM? I'm thinking Robertson may be the way to go but wanted to hear your opinions as well.

And for bonus points - how do you guys prefer to remove a stripped screw?

Thanks!

 

[J-Rod10]

Probably because the screw is not Phillips. A JIS is the driver you want. If we're talking about Japanese bike anyways.

Personally, I use stainless SHCS on everything.

 

[Maritime]

first, the big issue is they are not phillips, they are JIS so get a set of those screw drivers and the stripping out will be greatly reduced. you can file the heads of a phillips to make them JIS, there is an article here on it someplace. That being said I change out the JIS screws to hex head or Robertson whenever I can because a lot of times the heads are already close to done from PO's using a phillips on the JIS. to get a stripped head out of a carb body an easy out is probably safe, hard to use an impact driver, other method would be a dremel and cutoff wheel to remove the head. or carefully drill out the center of the head and it will fall off.

 

[VonYinzer]

Carefully grind the head off with a Dremel or a file than pliers to remove the shaft. Or if that's not possible you can drill the head out. Replace with stainless allen head cap screws (cheap kits are available online, EBay, etc.) and make sure to use a little anti seize as dissimilar metals (stainless screw, aluminum carb body) can react and bind together.

 

[Maritime]

+ 1 on the anti seize when using stainless and aluminum together.

 

[Maritime]

Probably because the screw is not Phillips. A JIS is the driver you want. If we're talking about Japanese bike anyways.

Personally, I use stainless SHCS on everything.

Ha I see you said it before me.

 

[thefish]

Yeah, had a hunch they were these weird JIS screws... but by looking at them I could have sworn they were Phillips. They're semi-similar looking and I'm not too familiar with JIS screws. Live and learn.

Can you find a JIS driver at any Lowes type shop or would a bike shop be the better bet?

 

[Maritime]

JIS look the same but the angle of the cross is different and tip point is as well, I've only seen JIS online but they may be available in shops, i've never looked.

 

[thefish]

Also, was thinking of using a more "barbaric" approach to getting this one screw off. Was thinking of getting some penetrating oil to use. Heard the rubber band method works okay too. Honestly, I'm frugal and don't want to spend more money on a dremel. Thoughts?

 

[Sonreir]

Should be easy to match some allen screws from the local hardware store.

 

[J-Rod10]

Take an old screw driver, beat it in to the screw, unscrew it.

 

[Maritime]

Yep, PB blaster is your friend, blast it a few times and let it sit then yes the old screwdriver bash or sometimes a rubber band will give enough grip.

 

[thefish]

Alright, thanks guys. Appreciate the help! Will let you know how it turns out.

In other news... me being a rookie at older bikes - I had to get the wheels off to get new tires thrown on. Apparently axles from the early '80s don't like to move. I had drank a few beers while working on the bike. Not a good idea. Got frustrated with the rear axle not wanting to come out and deciding to beat it with a hammer. I did it as carefully as possible but in the end, some thread was lost.

Am I totally dumb to think that I could cut a small bit off the end of the axle to save it? I've been warned that this could lead to throwing the wheel heavily off balance and in turn creating a wobble effect later on. Should I buy this info? Sounds peculiar that a tiny fraction cut off would cause that much harm. The axle would still be plenty long enough.

Thoughts?

 

[Maritime]

Always use a block of wood when beating on the threaded end of an axle if you don't have a rubber mallet to use. Yes you can grind the end a little to fix the threads it will be fine as long as there is enough left to secure the nut on the end.

 

[thefish]

Always use a block of wood when beating on the threaded end of an axle if you don't have a rubber mallet to use. Yes you can grind the end a little to fix the threads it will be fine as long as there is enough left to secure the nut on the end.

Tried that! Ended up with a messed up 2x4. Should have been more patient and bought a mallet instead. Again, this is quite the learning curve haha

So you think it's kind of bogus to think the whole dynamics of the bike will be thrown off by a small sliver of the axle being chopped off? It was my co-worker who warned me... so I was skeptical.

 

[teazer]

Yes. It's completely bogus. He is correct that it is better to keep a bike balanced within reason, but look at say a Harley with clutch and heavy primary case on one side - nowhere close to being balanced but that's OK

 

[jpmobius]

The axle has nothing whatever to do with the spinning of the rear wheel. It locates and clamps the inner races of the wheel bearings via spacers to the swing arm, and when assembled properly becomes a structural component of the arm. The wheel spins on the bearings, not the axle, so the axle has zero dynamic interaction with the wheel. It is a good idea to lube the axle when assembling it, but only to prevent corrosion - not because it moves.

 

[thefish]

This all sounds like much more sound advice than what I was given.

Any specific lube you guys recommend?

 

[VonYinzer]

Available for a few bucks at any auto parts store.

 

[VonYinzer]

Also, buy yourself a cheap set of chisels-punches. You'll notice that most of the time axles have a small dimple machined into the end. Get a pointed tip punch, put in dimple, smack with hammer. No damaging anything (except for maybe your hand, depending on how many beers you've had ). The 2x4 works well if it's just a little stuck, but being that soft it really deadens your blows. A short metal punch will deliver a much greater force.

And honestly, you'll find a million uses for a set like this as you move forward in your build.