Drillscrew or drill screw for thick metal
 

I am looking for ways to attach components to the floor of a truck.
The floor could be as much as 1/4" thick plate with 1/2 inch or so
thick mat and sound deadening material. I want to be able to use
something like a drill screw or a threaded insert for two reasons. One
is that I want the person to be able to work alone and the other is
that many times it will be difficult to impossible for someone to get
access to the other side of the floor area. I would like the head of
the fastener have a positive grip such as a torx, hex head or square
drive.

Any ideas?

Um, drill holes and use sheet metal screws driven by a nut driver? - GWE

wrote:
I am looking for ways to attach components to the floor of a truck.
The floor could be as much as 1/4" thick plate with 1/2 inch or so
thick mat and sound deadening material. I want to be able to use
something like a drill screw or a threaded insert for two reasons. One
is that I want the person to be able to work alone and the other is
that many times it will be difficult to impossible for someone to get
access to the other side of the floor area. I would like the head of
the fastener have a positive grip such as a torx, hex head or square
drive.

Any ideas?

One of the problems with drill screws is that the drill portion needs to
be drilling at a lower axial feed rate than the threads of the screw
require. Can cause them to bind up and you twist them off or it strips
the threads off.
If that wasn't too clear, think of it this way. The thread of these
fasteners is usually a fine thread, like 10-32, so for each rotation of
the screw, once the threads are engaged, it will advance 1/32 inch. That
a pretty healthy feed rate for a .150 dia drill (I think that's how big
the drill was on the screws I have is.).
If you can get the point of the drill portion through the metal, before
the starter threads engage, you have a better chance.
I have had luck by pilot drilling, but this wasn't real easy either.
Make sure to use oil on the threads, and keep the vise grips close.

wrote:

I am looking for ways to attach components to the floor of a truck.
The floor could be as much as 1/4" thick plate with 1/2 inch or so
thick mat and sound deadening material. I want to be able to use
something like a drill screw or a threaded insert for two reasons. One
is that I want the person to be able to work alone and the other is
that many times it will be difficult to impossible for someone to get
access to the other side of the floor area. I would like the head of
the fastener have a positive grip such as a torx, hex head or square
drive.

Any ideas?
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Im getting them too, Its NOC.NET, otherwise known as Ostrich with head
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--
Rick
Everett, Washington
Remove THREAD to reply.

wrote:
I am looking for ways to attach components to the floor of a truck.

Riv-nuts, Truck-serts and I'm sure other brand names. Drill correct
size hole, insert and set like a pop-rivet with a special tool then use
a machine screw. See
http://www.metalworking.com/dropbox/...es/thrdsrt.txt
for an example.

Ted

Ted Edwards wrote:
wrote:
I am looking for ways to attach components to the floor of a truck.

Riv-nuts, Truck-serts and I'm sure other brand names. Drill correct
size hole, insert and set like a pop-rivet with a special tool then
use
a machine screw. See
http://www.metalworking.com/dropbox/...es/thrdsrt.txt
for an example.

Ted

there's self drillers/tapers that will attach to 1/4" mild steel, no
problem.
http://www.haydonbolts.com/ should have something that will work. g/l

Buy self drilling/tapping screws. They come in lots of sizes & heads,
although the kind I get most often have a hex head. They have a drill
bit tip & a screw gun will drill right in & then they self tap.

Gary,
It seems like these materials usually have nylon or plastic in
them. I prefer to use a propane torch and a scratch awl to melt a
non-raveling screw hole into the material.


(top posted for your convenience)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)




"Gary Brady" wrote in message
k.net...
wrote:
I am looking for ways to attach components to the floor of a
truck.
The floor could be as much as 1/4" thick plate with 1/2 inch or
so
thick mat and sound deadening material. I want to be able to
use
something like a drill screw or a threaded insert for two
reasons. One
is that I want the person to be able to work alone and the
other is
that many times it will be difficult to impossible for someone
to get
access to the other side of the floor area. I would like the
head of
the fastener have a positive grip such as a torx, hex head or
square
drive.

Any ideas?

If the sound deadening material or mat is made of fibrous
material, like carpet, you may have a problem with the drill
screw winding up the fibers or yarn. This occurs when you try
to drill through carpet. You may have to cut the sound
deadening material with a round punch before drilling.

Gary Brady
Austin, TX

www.spaenaur.com

You can get broad flat (wafer?) head & sealer washer self tapping screws
that have torx/hex/robertson drive. We've used them successfully in similar
apps. Thinner ones drill easier but snap off if you are over zealous.


wrote in message
oups.com...
I am looking for ways to attach components to the floor of a truck.
The floor could be as much as 1/4" thick plate with 1/2 inch or so
thick mat and sound deadening material. I want to be able to use
something like a drill screw or a threaded insert for two reasons. One
is that I want the person to be able to work alone and the other is
that many times it will be difficult to impossible for someone to get
access to the other side of the floor area. I would like the head of
the fastener have a positive grip such as a torx, hex head or square
drive.

Any ideas?

Having the floor insulating material wrap around the fastener is a
problem I was concerned with, so a punch should be in my toolbox. A
lot of potentials in the posts here. Thanks for the response. I will
check into the suggested sources.

Gary Brady wrote:


If the sound deadening material or mat is made of fibrous material,
like
carpet, you may have a problem with the drill screw winding up the
fibers or yarn. This occurs when you try to drill through carpet.
You
may have to cut the sound deadening material with a round punch
before
drilling.

Gary Brady
Austin, TX