Guys, New EGC is in. Question on drilling late model plastic tourpak/saddlebag material. When I have installed airplane plexi, I use a special drillbit. A regular ground bit can/will crack the plexi. On the EGC, some of the holes are called out at 1/2 inch(plexi drill not available that big). Can someone help me with their success. thx.

 

I place blue masking tape over the area to be drilled. Make my mark on the tape and use a good sharp carbide bit. Never had a problem.

 

Drilled mine today. Material appears to be ABS. No cracking in my case though I recommend starting with a smaller hole and increasing in steps to reduce stress.

 

+1 what scubadog said

 

I drilled my chopped TP to install a lid rack using a regular drill bit. The instructions said to use masking tape on the painted side to keep the paint from chipping, but I didn't do that. As for drilling, it specified to drill a 1/16" starter hole, then follow that up with a 9/32". There was no specification as to the type of drill bit used, and I had no problems at all either with the paint or plastic.

 

Standard drills have a very positive rake to the inside cutting edges of the drill point. This is what usually causes drills to "suck in" as they are drilling or breaking through the other side of soft materials (plastic,brass,wood). You can completely eliminate this by taking the point face and making it a little negative. This will cause the drill to not want to suck in while drilling soft material. Just take the drill and and hit the lip face on a grinding wheel making it negative, both sides, and your problem will go away. The drill will seem like its a little harder going in but that's only because the drill is not being pulled into the material. Drilling a pilot hole will not make a drill with a very positive rake not want to suck in to the material. Good luck!

 

I used drills and hack saw blade to cut out the brake light holes in my tour pac when I did the brake light install a couple years ago. No problem with cracking.

 

Excelent suggestion, just don't go too negitive on the cutting edge and try to keep the sides the same length of the drill will cut oversize. Also try flatten out the point, this works good in soft material, and try to keep the cutting edge to the side of the drill smooth, it will give a smoother hole. Sorry, just some machinist tricks there.

 

I taped the bottom of the rack so not to scratch up the paint, placed it over the trunk where I wanted it and then lifted each corner and placed blue tape under the rack posts. readjust as needed and then took a pen and traced around the rack posts on to the blue tape and drilled out the holes like mentioned earlier,start small step drill to final opening. I didnt have any cracks worked great

 

I used standard bits on mine and didnt have a problem. I also believe they are ABS. I did use the masking tape though.