Archived: the OG noob question thread! 😀

[Venom121212]

My process:

1. Line up the enclosure visually. Make sure it’s where you want it or you just lost from step one.
2. Clamp it gently but solidly in place so it doesn’t slide. Do not let it slide, I repeat.
3. Tape the deck around the outside edge of the enclosure to give you an outline of the enclosure on the deck. Painters tape or masking tape work great. This helps with alignment just in case you skipped over that whole “don’t let it slip” part. This is also when I add any weather stripping foam, rubber, butyl gasket, etc by tracing the edge of the tape.
4. Mark on your enclosure where you want your bolts to be. Try and keep it in the middle of the flat part of the enclosure flange, not too close or far from the edge. A chalk line helps a lot for making a clean straight line but a straight edge or yard/meter stick works fine too.
5. Drill tiny pilot holes through each of your marks. Use a drill bit that’s much smaller than the bolt going there and don’t drill it very deep. The idea is just to transfer the marks from the enclosure to the deck.
6. You can remove your enclosure now and should have tiny shallow holes where your inserts will go.
7. Pick up a drill bit that is the same size (or barely smaller) as the shank (not threaded part) of your insert if they don’t recommend a size.
8. Figure out how deep the hole for the insert needs to be without punching through your deck.
   
   
   
   I use a socket wrench as a drill stop.
9. Insert all your threaded inserts. I like using the hex head ones and a drill to make sure they go in quick and don’t over or under torque. I recommend using a bit of epoxy on the outside of the threads before inserting them. Let them fully dry for 24hrs at least before bolting the enclosure on.

10. You might have to widen the enclosure holes with a larger drill bit so your bolts can go through but you’ll already have the pilot hole there to guide you.