3302 stripped bolt

[lithomaniac]

The 3302 we just picked up has a stripped bolt on the 2nd unit plate cyl. Press has
kompacs on it. This is the tail clamp side lay bolt on the op side. When I removed it, I found that it was totally rusted away, no doubt a result of the Kompacs going over the top all the time. replaced it with a new one, but it turns out the cyl. itself is also rusted out.

My question is, how can I fix the cyl. without removing it from the press?

 

[printerdan]

If there's any adjustment bolts that you could live without, that would be one of them. I only have occasion to use that bolt a few times a year for special circumstances. (I do not use a daylight camera or metal plates; plates are pretty consistent.)
At the point you are at, there is a spring on the non-ops side forcing the tail bar towards the op side. Consider removing that spring (without causing damage to it or it's mountings)(?).

IMO If you rely on that adjustment bolt to straighten the plate without affecting the head clamp, you are cocking the plate on the cylinder which may cause fit problems for close register two unit work. (I watched a colleague do that for years...it drove me nuts...but for metal plates it can be ok. You are introducing a buckle in the plate using that technique.)

Better idea - Other than removing the non-ops side spring you might insert an appropriately smaller threaded bolt with nuts inside and outside of the cylinder to force/center the tail bar. Turn each nut to affect the side lay of the bar and jam both against the stripped hole to secure.
You wont move as quick as originally engineered, but it would suffice the requirement.