Dan Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 OK...I just stripped two of the bolts that hold the heel/toe blocks to the plates on my new-to-me Catek OS2s. !@#@!@!!!! why didn't they go to a torx head? (and why am I a big enough jacka$$ to do that?) So...does anyone have any thoughts on how to get these bolts out that don't involve a drill press or other power equipment? Thanks all, Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neil Gendzwill Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 Do you mean you stripped the part where the screwdriver fits? Or you stripped the threads? If the former, you can get a bit for your drill from a decent hardware store that will bite into a stripped head and get it out. If the latter you'll have to drill it out and tap it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted February 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 Do you mean you stripped the part where the screwdriver fits? Or you stripped the threads? If the former, you can get a bit for your drill from a decent hardware store that will bite into a stripped head and get it out. If the latter you'll have to drill it out and tap it. Thanks Neil! I stripped the part where the screwdriver (allen wrench in this case) fits. I'll look into that drill bit you mentioned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrjamie Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 are both screwheads you stripped for the same toe bail? if you only have one screwhead per bail stripped, then take out the other screw, put the binding in a vice, and spin the toebail (preferably with mechanic force). The local bike (motorbike) shop did this for me. This was after being told by a hardware store and car garage that removing the toe bail would be "impossible." The bike shop guy said 'Let me see what I can do' and had it done in maybe 15 seconds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Houghton Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 Maybe cooling it off a bit would help, the aluminum will shrik enough to take some stress off of the bolt? I've simply drilled through the center of the bolt, then used a center punch to ease out the remaining piece - as soon as you loosen it then it's easy to turn. Not so tight next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike T Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 I'm sure you're aware of this, I didn't see it mentioned so I'll mention it, there's a think called an easy-out, it's a left threaded pointed piece of steel, they come in all sizes, first you drill a hole it's size then you thread it in,it threads to the left, as soon as it catches, it will start to back out the stripped screw, I think cold for the screw and mild heat for the insert might help. good luck Dan - this is exactly what you want. I have a set that looks like a left-handed thread tap. Easy as cake to use.... I've always done it using a ocket wrench and never a drill. 4mm allen heads suck and I've stripped many in my catek days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted February 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 Hey everyone, thanks for the benefit of your accumulated knowledge. Got a good range of approaches to choose from now... I think I'll start by putting the whole damn thing in the freezer (thanks Chris), then try to unscrew the toe/heel blocks from the plate using a vice (thanks Mr. Jamie - in fact I only stripped one screw head on the heel and one on the toe, so this may work). If that doesn't work, I'll go to the drill and the easy-out. I actually hadn't heard about the easy-out, so thanks to everyone that suggested it. Note that these bindings were new-to-me...I have no idea how the previous owner was able to get them tightened down so hard. Has anyone replaced these allen bolts on their OS2s with something a little more user-friendly? Any recommendations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d b Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 If you have a dremil/roto zip type tool cut a notch in the screws head then back it out with a screwdriver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotts.Scheinman Posted February 27, 2006 Report Share Posted February 27, 2006 the king pins strip really eaisly be aware of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trikerdad Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Mine did the same thing before I ever rode them. Was test fitting my boots and when I went to move the blocks I found 2 screws frozen and stripped out the allen heads. I did what d b said and cut slots in them with my dremel tool. The screws have very shallow allen holes in them. I went to the hardware store and got enough screws to replace all of the ones that came with the bindings. The holes are deeper in the new ones and seem to be harder. I also greased all of them before using them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted March 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2006 Hi all, I'm happy to report that I managed to work things out without needing to cut/drill/score any metal. I was able to unscrew the one stripped screw on the toe block just by rotating the plate and the toe block in opposite directions. This was Mrjamie's suggestion - thanks! That popped the stripped screw loose, and I was able to do it with (quite a lot of) hand pressure, without using vises or big levers or anything. The heel block had one stripped screw and one very very tight screw. I tossed it in the freezer for awhile, but I have a friend who's spent a few winters doing generator repair in Antarctica, and he said that because steel and aluminum contract at different rates, cooling is actually not the best approach. He applied heat and went at the un-stripped screw with a standard allen wrench. He was able to open that one, and then I unscrewed the heel block the same way as the toe block. Thanks everyone for your advice! And trikerdad, thanks for your comment - I'm going to head to a hardware store tomorrow to see if I can match those screws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrjamie Posted March 5, 2006 Report Share Posted March 5, 2006 glad you're not screwed anymore! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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