>2. The bearing shells on this uni are held in place by two self tapping screws
> on each side. After any time, particularly on rough surfaces they come
> loose, and will eventually strip. I’d thought of drilling these right
> through, and using bolts - any thoughts?
I’d try some loc-tite on the threads first and see if that helps. Get the kind
that is designed for anti-vibration thread locking (non-permanent bond). Or try
rubbing some beeswax on the threads!
-Rick