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APX 4500 chassis?

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AndrewGBrown

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Hi all,

While working on an unrelated project, my coworker was asked to help a customer out by moving one of their radios for them. He obliged, and unfortunately managed to shear off one of the two tiny #2 screws that hold the head onto the radio. Efforts to remove the screw have failed.

My question is, is it possible to order a replacement chassis for an APX 4500? Is it a replacement part that Motorola sells? I'm talking about just the billet aluminum chassis, without boards or connectors. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 

Tech21

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Oct 16, 2018
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439
He stripped the two screws that hold the head to the chassis? Go to a hardware store and buy a tap and die set or drill the head off the screw with the appropriate drill bit. After that all you have to do is find the right size screw at Lowes/Home Depot or whatever.

Suggest to your buddy that he simply buys a torx bit set that has all the standard sizes to prevent this avoidable mistake. . On a different note, Why did he need to remove the head from the radio in order to simply relocate the radio?
 

AndrewGBrown

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San Diego, CA
No, he didn't strip the hole, he sheared the head of the screw off, flush with the screw hole. He either over-tightened the screw or managed to cross thread it. The #2 screw is 3/32" in diameter, so standard screw extractors are no use. I've ordered a very small one off of Amazon, but I'm not holding out hope.

I believe he was asked to swap out the connector head for a control head during the move. This is all second-hand info to me.
 

Tech21

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In that case, take a small drill bit and drill out the screw. You want a drill bit that is smaller in diameter than the screw. Remove the good screw, put it against the drill bit and mark the bit with a sharpie or tape to ensure you don't drill down too far. Screw extraction isn't hard but it does require some patience.
 

AndrewGBrown

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I'm well versed in screw extraction. Center punch + left-handed drill bits on a drill press did not work, even with several heating and cooling cycles. Scribe and awl also failed to make an indentation useful with a flat head bit. A tapered Torx bit tapped into place also failed to gain enough purchase to extract the screw, even with ScrewGrab to increase friction. I'm aware that I can drill out the screw and hole and tap it to a large size, but that's not an option. I'm really just wondering if I can order a replacement aluminum chassis.

Edit: WHOA, sorry, autocorrect somehow replaced my Swyped entry of "cycles" with a less savory word!
 
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Tech21

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Short Answer: No.

Your best bet would be to talk to your local Motorola dealer and have it sent in to depot for repair.
 

GTR8000

NY/NJ Database Guy
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Just looked it up on shop.motorolasolutions.com and it lists for $85

Radioparts.com (no clue if they're reputable) has the chassis for $72
 

AndrewGBrown

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Dec 9, 2013
Messages
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Location
San Diego, CA
Just looked it up on shop.motorolasolutions.com and it lists for $85

Radioparts.com (no clue if they're reputable) has the chassis for $72
If it's not too much of an inconvenience, would you mind sharing the link? Unfortunately I'm on mobile with spotty service right now.
 
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