FrederickH

I've got a buckle to replace on my Sidi G-II road shoe and have stripped out the screw head on the old buckle. Is there a way to remove this screw without drill/taping the screw.

Crankycrank

Have you tried pulling the buckle away from the shoe as you're unscrewing the screw?

FrederickH

I've tried everything to get that screw to move but only managed to strip out the head. There is a spot of blue Loctite on the threads of the new screws and I'm guessing that's what is holding the old screw in place. Would it be possible to cut off the old buckle and expose the screw in order to remove it???

Crankycrank

Ah, I read your original post wrong thinking the threads had stripped. So, you could cut off the buckle but the easiest thing is to just drill the screw head off, remove buckle and remove the screw stud with some vice grips or pliers. The locktite they put on the screws is a low strength version so shouldn't be what's making it hard to remove. Maybe some corrosion has started.

dsbrantjr

They make left-handed drill bits for this purpose: https://harborfreight.com/search?q=l...%20drill%20bit

Paniolo

Not sure how much clearance you have, but I've often been able to use a cut off wheel to make a new flat slot in the head and then use a bigger flat screwdriver with square shaft and lots of down pressure, being careful to maintain good perpendicular angle, and using a small adjustable wrench on the square shaft.

FrederickH

Thanks! The screw is extremely small and I did try to loosen it with a lot of down force. I even went as far as backing up the inside of the shoe with a "backer board", set in a vise, before using that force.

easyupbug 

Use a clean tip of a soldering iron, hold against the head to soften blue Loctite. Works well and quickly so should not damage surrounding area, Commonly done with firearms. Work fast as the Loctite will reset. If you don't have a need for a soldering iron for soldering I just looked at Harbor Freight and the $5 one will work.

Crankycrank

Not sure I would want to take a chance heating up the screw as the surrounding synthetic materials of the shoe might melt if you go overboard with the heat. Also the Loctite used by SIDI is low strength so is not the issue and no benefit from heating.

FrederickH

Buckle replaced! I used a 1/16" drill bit for the initial hole and then used 1/8" drill bit to remove the screw, without removing any threading. This was then chased by a 4X0.7mm tap to clean out the threads. The new screw went in without a problem. Be sure to purchase BOTH the Sidi Buckles AND straps because the old won't fit the new.