thought i'd give something back to all the people that have helped me on the classicolds forum in the past. special thanks goes out to Kurt Shubert!

ahhhhh the infamous old mag wheel with the broken center cap screw problem! NO PROBLEM! i'll show you how to fix it in less than 30 minutes. no special tools required just patience, an electric drill, some drill bits, 8/32 tap & an old mag wheel with some broken screws. this old U.S. Indy slot mag has 2 (circled in yellow)

 

tools required

1) punch
2) 1/16" drill bit - cobalt tends to last longer IMO
3) 1/8" drill bit - cobalt tends to last longer IMO
4) #29 drill bit
5) 8/32 tap is what almost all old mag wheel center cap screws are (atleast all that i've ever seen)
6) cutting fluid for tapping new threads (probably not needed here since it's aluminum but the 8/32 tap is kinda small & breaking one in your wheel WILL RUIN YOUR DAY!
7) EYE PROTECTION!

 

1) use the center punch to punch a small hole on top of the broken screw. (AS CLOSE TO THE CENTER OF THE SCREW AS POSSIBLE). this will be the starting point for your 1/16" drill bit. if your off center a little bit no problem. the small 1/16 drill bit allows you to move the hole to as close to center (while your drilling SLOWLY)

2) as stated above chuck the 1/16" drill bit in your drill & start SLOWLY. this is by far the most important part so again GO SLOW! stopping frequently to blow off chips & to make sure your hole is straight down the center of the screw. like i said i like cobalt (COBALT DRILL BITS not the kobalt lowes brand unless they are COBALT) drill bits for this because they last. i've drilled out about 7 different broken screws with the same 1/16" bit & its still drilling

3) TIP! when you reach the end of the screw you will feel the bit starting to "bounce" or "jump" a little bit & it will have slightly more resistance when turning. GO ESPECIALLY SLOW HERE! those small 1/16" drill bits break like toothpicks (ask me how i know) sometimes you feel the end of the screw sometimes you don't but the chips will change from flakes to powder (see chips in 1st pic (metal flakes) & 2nd pic (powder. )it is best to STOP HERE unless you want to drill a 1/16" hole all the way through your wheel.

4) when your done drill your 1/16" hole or holes they should look like the last pic (notice how i PURPOSELY drilled it slightly off center)

 

5) chuck the 1/8" drill bit up in your drill & drill through the 1/16" pilot hole you just made in the broken screw head. (doing this will enlarge the hole & take out most of the broken screw pieces from the softer alloy material) see 1st pic

6) chuck the #29 drill bit & drill into the 1/8" hole you just made. should look like 2nd pic when your done

 

7) put some cutting fluid on your 8/32 tap & start tappin! see 1st pic

8) TURNING TAP SLOW! MAKING ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT YOU ARE GOING STRAIGHT! the hole should look like the 2nd pic when your done

9) test fit your new 8/32 center cap screw. fits like a hand in a glove! see 3rd pic with screw inside hole.

 

***forgot to mention to blow out chips from hole before tapping*** hopefully most of you guys already know this.

10) mount your center caps!

i know most of you old schoolers know that this isn't an E.T. Super mag wheel but the NOS ET caps do look better than the pieces of the original U.S. Indy caps that were attached to these old slots!

hopefully this helps someone... we gotta preserve whats left of our precious old metal

 

Done! Thanks