I’m nearing the end of my first restoration project and need to attach the plastic gear cable guide. however I have a problem.

I don’t have the screw or bolt that attaches the plastic cable guide to the bottom of the BB shell as it mustve gotten lost when I sent the bike to get re-painted. I dont know what I need to attach the cable guide as when I inspected the shell I saw two holes and neither appeared to have threading. I’ll attach photos of what the guide looked like before it was sent off to be re-painted. Do I need a screw/bolt or a rivet? Can these be replaced?

Thanks for any help!
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Pop rivets will be your friends here.
Jon

Looks like a pop rivet.
Measure the hole, and get the appropriate rivet, or a self tapping screw. Or tap the hole, and use a regular screw.

EDIT: Jon beat me to it.

Will I be able to get these from the local bike shop?

Cheers

Probably but any hardware or big box home store will also have them.

Or simply use a couple of small bolts that will fit thru the holes and a nut.

The cable guides I have seen have a little nub which fits into a hole in the BB. I suspect that a dab of hot-melt glue or a piece of non-foam double-faced tape will suffice to keep it from moving around, there is not much force on the guide.

Drill for a pop-rivet and once the Pin breaks , the ball end having expanded the rivet sleeve inside, can fall out,
( a rattling bit, you may have to extract it by pulling the BB out or do the job before finally installing the BB.)

The plan is; leaving a useful hole for condensation , inside the tubes, to drain out the bottom..





...

Glue or double-sided tape will work. Once the cables are installed, they will prevent the guide from falling off. You just need a little something to discourage it from sliding around.

Personally, I would drill (if necessary) and tap for an M5 screw. Depending on the diameter of the BB, there may not be room for the expanded end of a pop rivet or for a nut on a bolt. But the shell should be thick enough for an M5 bolt to be tightened, hold the guide in place, and not extend inside the shell. A little grease on the threads would be good, as the BB bears the brunt of moisture and road debris. Besides, an M5 tap will be useful elsewhere on the bike, like fender and rack mount eyelets.

I've replaced 5-6 of these. Every one had a small self-tapping screw.