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Very informative. Thank you

thank you vinny so much...the information here was VERY VERY helpful in the process!

What a helpful thread!
Bookmarking this one for when I get to that point in my eventual build.
Id be interested in knowing who offers a mobo that has the spacers for the ALICE frame pre-installed.

Just wanted to give my thanks as well, completed my drilling and tapping a few minutes ago without any issues.

Ok, I just installed my first 2 L Bracketts onto my motherboard.

The rivets on the second L Brackett which is located on the Power Cell don't seem to be as rivetted securely as the gun mount brackett..

I asked my dad who's a retired engineer and has worked with rivetting a great deal has told me that I havn't popped the rivet enough. He's assured me that it won't ever come loose and it's not like it's wobbling around a great deal. It's just when you try to wobble it you can fee it's slightly loose whereas the first one is so strong it makes you think that it was part of the motherboard to begin with.

Is there any risk at all with this being slighly wobbly. Should I drill it out and install a new rivet or should it be strong enough. My worry is that when the bolt for the mounting the shell is put through the slight wobble might make threading the hole difficult.

You should be fine, ran into the same issue with my bottom brackets. Ias able to thread them just fine and the shell doesnt wobble once I mount it to the board and everything to the alice pack.

Adam Bestler wrote:Here's a nice informative video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7wd2Lenmlo

It's a good idea to show the process than to write it down.

Yeah... but... the written words are still here, and the nice informative video no longer exists.

I guess writing it down was a good idea after all.


Alex

would screw rivets work or would they be too weak to support a fiberglass shell?

Hey, I'm at this stage of drilling the pack to mobo mounts. My drill bits arn't sized numbered. I did a bit of research online and the size that was recommended was a 13/64 but the hole seems to be a lot smaller. I've done a test bit on an old scrap peice of metal and the tap is struggling to even get through

<- *Walked into this Forum with confidence that upon reading, would feel like a god, and screw brackets on like a box....feels more confused than ever*

So, I'm trying to do the same thing everyone has beat to death already. I have the MMM mounting brackets, and a ZombieRepellant Motherboard/shell. HOW THE EFF do I go about drilling into this crap? I got a crappy Black and Decker drill, and it doesn't seem to be cutting it (no pun intended) Is there a specific type of drill bit to use? Or is it just a game of persistence? I have 90% of the parts for my pack and gun complete now, and mounting it is the last thing I need to really do to feel complete. Thanks for any help.

Use a smaller drill bit to drill a pilot hole first then work up to the finished size of 7/32" (size for the tapped 1/4" bolt) , aluminum is soft enough that with a sharp bit it should cut easily.

I also find it best to do them one at a time, line everything up, get the first one drilled and tapped, install the bolt then move to the next one and so on. Make sure you press your shell down flat against the motherboard when drilling, also drill the holes in your shell slightly bigger so you have some wiggle room. Say 5/16" or 9/32", the washers will cover the holes. Remember measure twice (or three times) ...cut once!

Awesome. Thanks. I'll give that a go later tonight.

Patience is key. I just grabbed some bolts that I thought were the right size, and they fit perfect. I think I ended up using 5/16th sized bolts, which were just right for my alice frame. Then I just started screwing stuff together, and before I knew it, BAM. Done. Now if I can just find a more effective way to mount my lights for the cyclotron aside from electrical tape...

I just wanted to add to the overall trend for this thread... thanks for a great walk-through on how to do this. shell & mobo are looking pretty handsome

This thread was perfect in answering all my questions.

Thank you so much, I've been searching for this kind of photo for so long!!!!

Probably a dumb question. I have attached the L brackets but haven't drilled and tapped it yet. How do you know what size drill bit to use to drill the hole before tapping?

Edit: In general I mean, not just necessarily for these holes specifically.

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PssdffJay wrote:Probably a dumb question. I have attached the L brackets but haven't drilled and tapped it yet. How do you know what size drill bit to use to drill the hole before tapping?

Edit: In general I mean, not just necessarily for these holes specifically.

Google it, there are charts.

Also amazon sells things like THIS, I'm sure your local hardware store carries it too.

PssdffJay wrote:Probably a dumb question. I have attached the L brackets but haven't drilled and tapped it yet. How do you know what size drill bit to use to drill the hole before tapping?

Edit: In general I mean, not just necessarily for these holes specifically.

I bought an Irwin tap set from Crappy Tire and it gave the pilot hole sizes for the screw thread taps.

Great stuff. but im still a little confused on one point. Ok so I got my L-Brackets from Lows (they already had holes in them) right. So after I get the Lbrackets installed and I go to put the screws in....What are they screwing into that holds them on. I dont see how I can put a bolt on the other end since it will be enclosed after I put the shell onto the motherboard.

You drill and tap the L-bracket. That will hold it!

You will need a suitable tap bit for your bolt, and a right size (slightly smaller) drill bit to use before tapping.

Cadger wrote:You drill and tap the L-bracket. That will hold it!

You will need a suitable tap bit for your bolt, and a right size (slightly smaller) drill bit to use before tapping.

My L bracket already has holes in it?

When you say drill and tap, Does that give the L bracket screw grooves (not suer what else to call it) that the screw drives into???

I guess that makes sense. I have freind who works at a hardware store. I will go by and ask this week.

How thick does the L bracket need to be to "hold" the screw?

When you tap the inside of the hole it will be threaded just like the inside of a nut. (From the hardware store, not from the snacks deparment. ) You then screw the bolt into the threaded hole from the outside of the shell.

I don't think you need much threads to hold a bolt, so the L-bracket could be rather thin I think. But don't go too thin. Remember only four of theese will hold the entire shell and all it's pieces. My brackets are 5 mm. I think you should aim for something in that area.

How big are the holes you already got? I've used M6 bolts which is about the correct size I believe. If the holes are bigger, and cannot be tapped for that size you could go up a bolt size (M8) and tap the hole you already have.

Can you show a picture of you brackets?

Another alternative could be to weld a nut to the backside of the L-bracket depending on material. But that requires more effort and tools.

Cool. I am going to swing by my friends hardware store some time this week and look at getting the tap. Im so close on this, I dont want to fall short of halloween!

Don't let your eagerness effect your work. Remember your L Brackets are what hold your shell onto the Mobo. You want a good secure fit otherwise your eagerness to complete might end up with your shell falling and breaking. I'd honestly buy proper L Brackets from the For Sale section and do the job properly

I just wanted to chime in as another member who benefited greatly from this awesome tutorial. Thanks so much!

I hope this isn't a stupid question (I just read through the thread, but it's possible I could have missed it already):

Do you drill the shell hole first, or you're drilling through the shell and bracket simultaneously (and blindly)?

Can you drill the holes in both first (to make lining up easier), as long as you keep them small enough to then add the threading?

TENIME_art wrote:Do you drill the shell hole first, or you're drilling through the shell and bracket simultaneously (and blindly)?

Can you drill the holes in both first (to make lining up easier), as long as you keep them small enough to then add the threading?

You can blindly drill through the shell while it's on the motherboard as long as everything is lined up and you start with a small bit. After the initial holes are drilled in both the shell and bracket, you can drill them separately.

If you don't already have one, I strongly recommend investing in a step bit for your drill; not only will it make the larger holes more even, but it will save a lot of time and labor.

The Pics are Photobuckets . . . is there a place these exist without the photobucket fee photo?

I am doing my first classic pack and would love to not mess it up by guessing.

On GB2 packs, were the L brackets mounted to the mobo using the same style of rivets?