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I've stripped a M5 thread in a 3mm thick motorcycle swingarm. The thread inserts I have are about 5mm long and when inserted into some 3mm scrap they overhang the other side by about 2.8mm. Since the swingarm is made out of a box section, I can't trim the overhang off from the other side.

I've tried cutting the helicoil down to size, however the thread wasn't smooth and tended to bind up when inserting the bolt.

I've been able to apply a reasonable torque to the bolt without issue so do you think it's ok to leave the helicoil sticking out the other side?

Ian Oakes
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    I can’t see how it would be a problem leaving the helicoil longer than necessary. It would only be the same as using a longer bolt than necessary in the original hole. – HandyHowie Jul 29 '19 at 12:44
  • I tend to agree given that the thread on the bolt is the same length as the helicoil, but given my lack of experience using helicoils and the replacement cost of the swingarm being well over a $1000 and the oem nature of the bolt, I wanted to be sure before committing to something I might regret :) – Ian Oakes Jul 29 '19 at 21:44
  • As long as there's no interference, there's no problem. You could, however, just buy the proper length thread insert... – SteveRacer Jul 30 '19 at 03:34
  • Alternatively, you could get someone to fill the hole with weld, then re-drill and tap it to the correct size. – HandyHowie Jul 30 '19 at 06:55
  • @SteveRacer I've been shopping around looks like the shortest size is 5mm – Ian Oakes Aug 01 '19 at 11:09
  • The part sticking out is inside the box section? Just leave it. I couldn't find any shorter inserts either. – SteveRacer Aug 02 '19 at 02:25

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