HELP: Need a good Machine Shop in the NYC area

[drjim99]

HELP - I need a good machine shop in the NYC area that can unstick some stuck screws!

 

Here's the story. Today I removed my rear wheel to install an Edge-Gard (great product, by the way) on my 2004 V11 Sport. While I had the wheel off I decided to clean and lube the Cush drive according to the fix Greg Field recently posted ("Making a Cushier Cush Drive"). Unfortunately, the 6mm button head hex screws securing the Cush Drive retaining plate were frozen. Despite my best efforts I managed to strip out the internal hexes in two of them.

 

I don't have the time, patience, tools or expertise to deal with removing these frozen scews (with stripped heads). So, it's time to bring in a professional.

 

Can anyone recommend a good machine shop in the NYC area (preferably on or near Long Island) who will remove these frozen screws without ruining my wheel?

 

TIA

 

Jim

[waspp]

Jim,

 

You might try your trusted auto repair man, he should be able to get those bolts out. If there is still a good portion of the bolt head left an impart wrench with a little heat may tdo the job If all else fails you can weld a hex head bolt to the stripped off screw head and twist it oiut! Good luck!

[Guest ratchethack]

Jim, if you're at all handy with tools, I'd encourage you to do this yourself. You can likely have the job finished in less time than it takes you to locate someone to do the job, and be riding long before you ever get a call to come pick up your wheel after leaving it for service.

 

Coupla things:

 

I managed to drive all 6 screws out with a sharp cold chisel applied on a tangent to the periphery of the screws. I found this was effective enough that no heat was necessary. As soon as you detect slight rotation with the first or second whack, it's all downhill from there, and y'er home free.

 

As Greg's excellent tutorial notes, heat on the screws will soften and loosen the nasty threadlocker that the Luigi's put on these particular screws in Mandello. I can't recall anywhere else on the entire Guzzi where they use anything like this stuff. It's completely different than "normal" Loctite-type threadlocker, with the consistency of bubblegum at zero degrees Celsius.

 

Good luck!

 

BTW -- this has historically been one o' the classic situations where many Guzzisti here in the US discover that their Craftsman allen wrenches are both undersized and soft [insert sophomoric humor here], wreaking havoc on all threadlocked -- and many non-threadlocked socket-head fasteners. I'm a strong proponent of Craftsman tools, with a home shop full of 'em, but I also strongly recommend throw Craftsman allens out and get a proper quality tool steel set for the Guzzi. It's a mandatory kinda thing.

[dlaing]

Take a look at Docc's thread on removing the bolts that hold the brake disks to the wheels

http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=11793

The same techniques should apply except heat is not as critical since there should not be any thread locking compound.

Not to say heat won't help but you might try without heat first.

Ratchet's advice is good, too.

But if you don't want to take a chance of making it worse, go to a mechanic.

In NYC I would recommend any british bike repair shop.

And as waspp suggested, an experienced car mechanic may be closer and have no trouble.

Even a scooter shop may have a decent mechanic.

 

I think Motorcycle Works Limited is where I had success before, when Ghost (RIP) in Port Washington was too far.

316 Carroll St

Brooklyn, NY

11231-5008

Phone: (718) 802-1705

But if you are on Long Island you should be able to find something closer.