Is there any hope for this piece?

[rangerg]

I want to finish off an Optima Hot Trick runner, but this important piece is holding it up. See the large hole drilled in it. Is there anyway to salvage this to make it work? Is there anyway to fill it and put a new hole? Could I cut and patch with a stock one? I'm not hopeful and I have no idea why someone drilled it, but just thought someone may have an idea to salvage it.

[jwscab]

It could be welded if the right alloy but you would lose the red and require a good guy tomake it look stock. The filler would need to be the type of alloy to be reanodized color. And the part will likely end up soft/annealed

[GoMachV]

It isn't by any means the "right" way to fix it, but you could find a small fender washer or two, ream the hole to fit them, and use slightly larger thin washers on either side. Basically making a bushing of sorts. It won't look right, but it will hold a gear

As mentioned above, any welding will ruin the anno, and re anodizing will 95% of the time not look right

[tamiyadan]

.

[rangerg]

Hmmm, I like gomachv's idea. I'll look through my stuff for parts. Thanks for the all the advice. I will look at aluminum weld as well.

[GoMachV]

Jb weld is pretty amazing stuff too- if you use my washer idea you may throw some JB on it and see how it holds.

[DennisM]

This would be my take on a solution.
The grove on the input shaft, for the final pinion, will need to be prolonged 2mm to allow the needed clearence for the input gear.

Since the Hot trick plate doesn´t have a crossmember located in the same position as the original (countersunk torx on my picture), You´ll need to drill a hole.

The hole next to the lower motor screw will need a countersunk screw mounted from the back side of the Hot trick plate and the nut on the new adaptor plate. The motor partially covers that screw head when mounted.

The top rearmost screw going from left gearbox plate to the thread in the motor plate (input gear 10 o´clock), will need to be 3mm longer and the threaded hole in the hot trick plate must be drilled to 3mm. The new longer screw now seats in the adaptor plate 3mm threads.

I think a polished adaptor plate will look "trick" against the red.

[GoMachV]

Very nice work Dennis!

[DennisM]

Thanks Jeff.

[Coelacanth]

Nice save!

[rangerg]

Looks nice Dennis. I'll pm you to get a little more input. Thanks.

[GoMachV]

If you have an original plate you could just cut around the holes. That would ensure alignment too

[rangerg]

I actually have two stock plates in my Optima parts, what do I use to cut them? The dremel?

[GoMachV]

Dremel cutoff wheel to get close, then I would use a carbide cutter but even a file would work.

Draw your plans around the screw holes you want to keep, then just cut little bits at a time till it's correct. Smooth it at the end with a file.

[rangerg]

that makes sense, thanks