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zfyfe

how to do a ice to roller conversion

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im starting a Vapor 40/Sprung conversion and will be going the T-nut route, but i have 2 questions:

1. I bought 6/32 Tnuts from Home Depot. The barrel is 1/4" long. The barrel does not fit into the home on the sprung chassis. Will i need to cut down the barrel of the Tnut, or drill out the hole on the chassis for the barrel to fit in?

2. im not sure how thick the outsoles are on the vapors, but will the teeth on the Tnuts bite all the way through, or do i need to cut/grind those down as well?

Thanks

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I would think you should drill out the holes on the chassis so the nuts hold it in place and there is no shifting. This way the nut locks the boot and the chassis in place. Kind of late, hope i make sense.

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im starting a Vapor 40/Sprung conversion and will be going the T-nut route, but i have 2 questions:

1. I bought 6/32 Tnuts from Home Depot. The barrel is 1/4" long. The barrel does not fit into the home on the sprung chassis. Will i need to cut down the barrel of the Tnut, or drill out the hole on the chassis for the barrel to fit in?

2. im not sure how thick the outsoles are on the vapors, but will the teeth on the Tnuts bite all the way through, or do i need to cut/grind those down as well?

Thanks

Why are you drilling a hole for the tnuts to fit into the chassis? The tnuts are supposed to fit from inside the boots...most outsoles would be thick enough that the tnut would not protrude or stick out of the boot... The only thing going thru the mounting plate should be the threaded area of the bolts/screws.

You can flatten the teeth down, or you could just use two pliers and twist the prongs off...

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this conversion was really helpful but the pics of the t-nuts, washers and screws are unavailable. would it be possible for them to be uploaded again so I can be sure to purchase the right size etc?

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Tnuts http://www.mcmaster.com/#tee-nuts/=cv2b5r

I opted to go with these bolts http://www.mcmaster.com/#machine-screw-fasteners/=cv2bz3 . You can use the normal philips head type screw, but when you do you might want to include a washer. With the one listed above, no washer needed.

Make sure you buy either the 6/32 or 8/32 tnuts and bolts. The bolt length should be 1/2" and 3/8" which should be good for those thicker outsoles.

The barrel of the 6/32 and 8/32 is about the same, and I think you need a 6mm drill bit (sorry, dont have the imperial conversion).

Bigdaddy... yes, some outsoles are relatively thicker while some are quite thin. Thats why I suggested going with two sets of bolts/screws.

Here's a mounting tip I've found useful:

- after drilling all the holes, place the first tee nut in the hole (i normally go with the one of the ones at the front)

- screw the bolt in, but not all the way. THis gives the chassis one point of contact, and allows it to swing around

- start screwing the ones at the rear mounting plate in, but not fully secure (you only fully secure when you have mounted all the bolts)

- do the ones at the front

- once you have everything all done, slowly tighten each one, then rotate to another. This allows the chassis to slowly get pulled to the outsole, rather than at an angle and also saves you having to use lots of strength

Make sure you have it lined up the way you want it as well... no point going thru all the hassle and finding out that the mount was off centre.

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thanks for the link. What height tee nut do you suggest? as others mentioned, I don't want the tee nut to be longer than the outsole is thick. I am planning on converting a pair of vapor XXX by the way. (not sure on outsole thickness)

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I cant tell you for sure. Most of the time i just order the 8/32 tnuts and it comes pretty much as is. Im not concerned about the height of the barrel as none of the skates I've ever converted have had the problem of the barrel sticking out of the outsole.

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i have done three conversions and always used 6/32 tnuts and a variation in lengths depending on the boot and its thickness, any where between 1/4 inch to 1 inch in the heel sometimes. i would just make sure to get the flat bottomed tnuts and not the tapered ones. i made the mistake getting the wrong ones once and they wouldnt get as tight against the washer and then fell out

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im starting a Vapor 40/Sprung conversion and will be going the T-nut route, but i have 2 questions:

1. I bought 6/32 Tnuts from Home Depot. The barrel is 1/4" long. The barrel does not fit into the home on the sprung chassis. Will i need to cut down the barrel of the Tnut, or drill out the hole on the chassis for the barrel to fit in?

2. im not sure how thick the outsoles are on the vapors, but will the teeth on the Tnuts bite all the way through, or do i need to cut/grind those down as well?

Thanks

I drill out the holes in the chassis when the boot sole is very thin and the shaft sticks through. It's better than putting the amount of stress needed to pull the shaft into the stock mount hole.

When I get a boot that is totally between screw lengths, and I have all the lengths, I tighten the closest length down and mark the part that comes through the t-nut. Then I take it out and cut it off with a dremel disc.

If your holes are off, you can move them with the dremel without degrading the mount hole. You can't do this with rivets, cause they will just lay down when you go to press them. T-nuts are very forgiving and therefor can give you a much more precise mount if it's new to you.

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Here's a quick run down of how to remove the chassis.

Tools used to remove, nothing expensive, just tools I had laying around. The carpenter's pliers is a real handy tool, bought it for about $1. Easier to do everything if you remove the laces and insoles.

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/fatwabbit/Skate%20Conversion/P1040926.jpg

I normally start by removing the copper rivets. Most of the ones I've noticed these days are pretty easy to remove. Secure the boot in place, and using a chisel and hammer/mallet, place the chisel edge just above the washer, but under the mushroom-ed rivet. Use a couple of nice blows to just slowly knock the mushroom off (sorry, I knocked all the copper rivets off and then remembered to start taking pics). It should come off pretty clean.

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/fatwabbit/Skate%20Conversion/P1040927.jpg

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/fatwabbit/Skate%20Conversion/P1040930.jpg

Place the skate in a vice or something to secure it in place. I dont have a vice so I just place it on a piece of cardboard. Start with the rear and work your way forwards. Using a pair of pliers to hold the pin punch, placing the pin punch inside the boot on one of the steel rivets (should be a star looking pattern). Use the hammer and give it a few good whacks to force the rivet out. It should be able to go completely through. You might need another pair of pliers to help remove it from the end of the pin punch.

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/fatwabbit/Skate%20Conversion/P1040932.jpg

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/fatwabbit/Skate%20Conversion/P1040934.jpg

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/fatwabbit/Skate%20Conversion/P1040935.jpg

The front ones are a little more difficult to get to. With the carpenters pliers you can use the big rounded part to put some leverage on the rivet. No need for huge amount of strength, just getting the technique right. Once chassis is removed, just clear an area for you to work with... ipod and speakers not essential.

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/fatwabbit/Skate%20Conversion/P1040936.jpg

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/fatwabbit/Skate%20Conversion/P1040938.jpg

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/fatwabbit/Skate%20Conversion/P1040940.jpg

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/fatwabbit/Skate%20Conversion/P1040939.jpg

Installation with Tnuts

Clear the unneeded tools, and prepare the tools for installing.

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/fatwabbit/Skate%20Conversion/P1040946.jpg

You need to prepare the tnuts as well, I just use two pairs of pliers to just twist the prongs back and forth and they just come off pretty easily.

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/fatwabbit/Skate%20Conversion/P1040939.jpg

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/fatwabbit/Skate%20Conversion/P1040954.jpg

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/fatwabbit/Skate%20Conversion/P1040955.jpg completed tnut on the left

Find the centre of the rear and front of the boot, then draw a line. It will look pretty weird and skewed to one side, but as long as its centre to centre it should be ok.

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/fatwabbit/Skate%20Conversion/P1040945.jpg

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/fatwabbit/Skate%20Conversion/P1040943.jpg

Place chassis in desired position, and you can secure it with some tape or some solid rubber bands. Once you decide where you are going to drill the holes (you can use a marker thru the mounting holes of the chassis), secure the boots in place. I dont have a workshop, so I just use what I have available. The boots fit on the arm rest of the chair pretty well. Be careful, as I've left numerous holes in the arm rest by drilling too deep. :) A little trick is when you drill the hole all the way thru, you might want to twist the drill a little in a small circle. This should remove some of the crap that normally hangs around the hole. For the tnuts, you might use a 6mm drill bit. I also use my screwdriver to push it into the hole. Sometimes you get all the fluff and crap still in the hole, and this allows the fluff and crap to be pushed out of the way, or compressed into the side of the hole.

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/fatwabbit/Skate%20Conversion/P1040947.jpg

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/fatwabbit/Skate%20Conversion/P1040948.jpg

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/fatwabbit/Skate%20Conversion/P1040949.jpg

Put the first Tnut into the hole, and then screw in the first screw. dont secure it all the way, this should allow the chassis to swing around freely. YOu might want to use a longer screw for this part than normal, as you can swap it out later.

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/fatwabbit/Skate%20Conversion/P1040950.jpg

Next, start locating one tnut at a time and securing in place thru the mounting holes of the chassis. Since I'm not a super flexible person, i use a small screwdriver and poke it thru the hole into the boot. All you have to do it then put the tnut onto the screwdriver and it will locate onto the hole.

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/fatwabbit/Skate%20Conversion/P1040951.jpg

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/fatwabbit/Skate%20Conversion/P1040952.jpg

http://i230.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/fatwabbit/Skate%20Conversion/P1040953.jpg

Do NOT tighten all the way, as you can start to do a little adjustments to make sure the chassis is centred. Once all the tnuts are in, then slowly tighten the screws, doing a little for each screw then moving to another. This should slowly pull the chassis down to the base of the outsole and should be pretty much flat.

In some cases where the chassis might not be a perfect match to the outsole, so if you secure the rear mounting plate first, the front mounting plate might sit away from the outsole. What you can do is to put the rear tnuts and screws in first (not tightened all the way). Then use a much much longer screw and slowly tighten it onto one of the front tnuts. This will slowly pull the chassis and outsole together. Secure the rest of the screws, then remove the longer screw and replace with the normal length.

Also, sometimes the tnuts dont sit perfect in the holes (unless you drilld with a larger drill bit). If this happens, take the chassis off. YOu could locate the tnuts with the small screwdriver above, then tighten with the screws. As you tighten, the tnuts will be pulled into the hole and should be really snug.

One of the things I've learnt from Sprungster is that the tnut method is very forgiving. If you didnt drill in the right place, you can elongate the hole with a round file. The tnuts have a very wide securing base, so its still ok.

Hope this helps... i've missed out a few pics in this conversion, but you should get the gist of it.

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One thing I've found that can make t-nut mounting easier is once you have all your holes drilled, insert the t-nuts into the sole & use an extra bolt with a large washer on it to snug-up all the t-nuts into the sole of the boot before trying to put the chassis on. After all of the t-nuts are firmly in place, you start bolting the chassis on. It can definitely help to have a few extra bolts that are longer than you need for "final" mounting to help get things lined up properly.

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So I'm making a trip to home depot in the morning to pick up the things necessary for a conversion and it's going to be my first time doing a conversion so just to make sure I have the bases covered I'm getting:

6/32in tnuts

6/32in bolts

a 3/8 drill bit (not sure if i have one here)

punch

Anything missing? and more importantly these will likely be at a home depot?

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So I'm making a trip to home depot in the morning to pick up the things necessary for a conversion and it's going to be my first time doing a conversion so just to make sure I have the bases covered I'm getting:

6/32in tnuts

6/32in bolts

a 3/8 drill bit (not sure if i have one here)

punch

Anything missing? and more importantly these will likely be at a home depot?

I think that should be 3/16" drill bit.

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Hammer?

You might want to get two different lengths of bolts. 3/8 and 1/2" is what I would suggest.

haha, yeah i kinda rushed that last night, same with the conversion of 6/32 to 3/8 instead of 3/16, but thanks for the replies should be getting skates tomorrow and finishing them up.

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Maybe pick up the carpenters pliers like I suggested, helps to remove the rivets nearer the front of the skate.

Hey guys I've been attempting to mount my sprungs on the new boots. One is perfect the othere is a couple of mills out of line. Does anyone know if this will be an issue and can i fill the hols and start again?

thanks in advance

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Hey guys I've been attempting to mount my sprungs on the new boots. One is perfect the othere is a couple of mills out of line. Does anyone know if this will be an issue and can i fill the hols and start again?

thanks in advance

First try loosening all the bolts/screws up a bit to see if there is enough play in the assembly to just slide it over & re-tighten it. If that doesn't work, you can ream the holes out by using the side of the drill bit to open the hole up in the direction you want to move the chassis. re-insert the t-nuts & get the chassis in position & tighten it up. The flanges on the t-nuts & the chassis will sandwich the sole & keep the chassis from moving around in the now oblong holes as long as the bolts/screws are kept tight.

If you have to open the holes up a mm or two to get the chassis lined up properly, you might consider using larger hardware, if possible (e.g. use 8/32 in lieu f 6/32).

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Darmin, are you using the Tnuts I gave you?

If yes, then you can just widen the holes with a small round file and just redo the Tnuts... The tnuts will be able to hold the chassis in place.

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I've been told that a inline chassis should be mounted 1/4" back from center point (front to back) in order to allow the skater to get over his toes easier. So the back wheel is 1/4" further back (less front wheel showing, more back wheel if you had the skates on your feet looking down) It does kind of make sense, I have always bought inlines off the shelf and they are perfectly centered (equal front wheel and rear wheel protruding from the front end and rear end of the skate).

Is there any truth to this madness or has anyone tried this method?

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Darmin, are you using the Tnuts I gave you?

If yes, then you can just widen the holes with a small round file and just redo the Tnuts... The tnuts will be able to hold the chassis in place.

Hey man, used the T-nuts, used your advice on widening the holes, Looks good at the moment and will see how they hold up in the game tomorrow.

Thanks for all of the help Kev

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No worries. Make sure you tighten them up, and have a screwdriver on the bench just in case. Also, after the game just check them over to make sure everything is sweet.

I make it a habit now to give the skates a once over when I take them out of the bag to put on the drying rack. Just a good habit to have, making sure that everything is alright before the next game.

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