I’m building a Branchline Pullman and I was trying to mount one of the trucks and carefully starting the screw into the mounting hole and get the thread going.
The problem was the hole from the factory was not deep enough and once the screw was threaded in far enough, I hit the bottom of the hole, kept turning and stripped the threads off. Bummer.
I don’t have a pinvise yet. Would you suggest that I get a pinvise and drill out the hole to a length sufficient for the screw? I could then try to get a thread started in the newly made section, mount the truck and maybe glue the screw into the hole.
The other option may be to drill the hole to the proper length but use a slightly wider screw to establish new threads in that hole.
Go with what Loathar said. When you do fill the hole with JB Weld, get a 5/16 inch drill bit and spin it by hand just to make a cone shape in the JB Weld. This way when you drill it out your hole will be centered. Tap and die set is a great idea, want worth every penny. You can get a Kadee set with a tap and two drill bits, one for making a pass through hole and the other for making a tap hole, for about $5 at a good LHS.
Engineers: We dont really need 9 in. paint brushes anyway so trim the end of the brush down to the diameter you need. Cut a piece for the hole and glue in in. Redrill the hole after the glue drys. Works fine for me. Happy Jose
Another method I use is to drill a 1/8" hole in the car frame. Install a section of 1/8" Evergreen sytrene tubing. After the cement dries install a #2 self tapping screw. It will fit the hole in the tubing and install the truck. Cut the tubing flush with the frame if your truck has a #2 hole or leave a small lip for larger mounting holes in the truck.