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I have a brand new Ampeg SVT-CL in the shop (2 of them, actually), brought to me so I could set them up to last instead of failing on rentals first. So, among all the hardware issues I've had to deal with on them, what has stopped me in my tracks are the cheap Chinese #10-32 cage nuts installed in the 7mm sq holes of the preamp chassis mounting flanges. One of them snapped off one side of the shaped clips that keep them in the holes. Then, before I could even try to come up with a fix, lacking a replacement, the other side snapped off before I even tried to apply any force!!
These parts are NOT common, I've come to discover. What everybody stocks around the country are the larger size that fit the power amp chassis, square hole size being 0.375". Images of the little buggers:
So far, all I've been able to find are the larger size #10-32 cage nuts. And, only McMaster-Carr even lists the panel opening size for what they offer. Everyone else just gives you pictures, and what specs they offer don't even call out the square hole size you're trying to fit. As though that would be important, since the part MUST FIT into your opening!!
All I found at Home Depot last night were j-clips, and they will only work on the rear flange. You have to run a #10-32 tap thru them first to even have a chance of them working with the soft-steel chrome plated screws Ampeg provides. And, even with that, having now made the mistake of removing the rear cage nut, since they won't fit on the inside front flange of the chassis.....threading in the screw rotates the j-clip away from it's centering. I haven't even tried this in the cabinet, where all these fastners are now a blind hole.
When I tried to install the intact #10-32 cage nut into the front flange.....I can't get the little bugger into the opening. I've been using a nice robust bent-nose pliers to install them in SVT power amp chassis and Marshall chassis, but, the front openings in the SVT Preamp, they're in the corner and next to the bulging side of a pop rivet, and thus far, I've been unable to install one! Getting to where I want to start throwing things, if anyone has been pushed to that state!
These parts are NOT common, I've come to discover. What everybody stocks around the country are the larger size that fit the power amp chassis, square hole size being 0.375". Images of the little buggers:
So far, all I've been able to find are the larger size #10-32 cage nuts. And, only McMaster-Carr even lists the panel opening size for what they offer. Everyone else just gives you pictures, and what specs they offer don't even call out the square hole size you're trying to fit. As though that would be important, since the part MUST FIT into your opening!!
All I found at Home Depot last night were j-clips, and they will only work on the rear flange. You have to run a #10-32 tap thru them first to even have a chance of them working with the soft-steel chrome plated screws Ampeg provides. And, even with that, having now made the mistake of removing the rear cage nut, since they won't fit on the inside front flange of the chassis.....threading in the screw rotates the j-clip away from it's centering. I haven't even tried this in the cabinet, where all these fastners are now a blind hole.
When I tried to install the intact #10-32 cage nut into the front flange.....I can't get the little bugger into the opening. I've been using a nice robust bent-nose pliers to install them in SVT power amp chassis and Marshall chassis, but, the front openings in the SVT Preamp, they're in the corner and next to the bulging side of a pop rivet, and thus far, I've been unable to install one! Getting to where I want to start throwing things, if anyone has been pushed to that state!
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