So here I was, about to finish mounting things, and all I had left to do was to mount the Corsair H110 radiator onto the top of the Corsair 500R case. (I use the brand names so that anyone googling the problem can find the solution easier.) Now, mounting it proved to be difficult, because bolts needed to go through the fans, thread into the case, then thread into the radiator. It was hard to tell when they were properly threaded through the case and into the radiator. It was even harder to tell that the mounting holes were misaligned!

The case has 8 holes, 4 on a side, as does the radiator. The problem was, the sides were about a millimeter or two off - you could mount on side, but not the other. The further problem was that since you need to thread the bolt through two threads, both of which fairly tough metal, there was no flex space or slight angle that could get these things aligned.

The solution was as obvious as it wasn't obvious to me. Thankfully, someone recommended it: Simply drill out the holes. But first, some notes after the jump.

Two things to note before doing so. One, you want to use two drill bits: One just barely bigger than the taps, and the other large enough to solve the issue, about 3 steps up from the first one. This helps prevent breaking bits, and breaking the case. Not strictly necessary, since you already have pilot holes, but good practice.

Two, you want to make sure the resultant iron filings don't get inside your case where they can cause shorts. First, lay the case on its side so that the top is now a side, so filings fall down. Next, use masking tape to tape over the hole, from the inside of the case. Drill from the outside. The masking tape will catch most debris. Mop up any debris left with the masking tape, then go over the areas with a weak magnet to pull the iron filings. Your case should be completely clean.

To finally mount the damn radiator, which is still kind of difficult even without misaligned holes, my strategy was this: align the radiator where it should be mounted inside the case, and one fan outside. Screw the fan into the case, but not into the radiator. Take four bolts and mount the radiator where the other fan would go. This ensures the radiator is properly aligned. Now you can take the final bolts and mount the fan to the radiator (loosely). Unscrew the four bolts holding the radiator in place, grab the second fan, mount the fan through the case to the radiator (loosely). Finally, as everything is in place, symmetrically tighten all the bolts. Voila!

The H110 and 500R are a pretty damn cooler and case combo. The only downside is that mounted on the top, there's not enough room inside the case for both the radiator and fans, so you can't do a push-pull setup. You can do a push or a pull, with the fans on the outside and the radiator inside; though the cooler suggests push (intake), people online suggest pull (exhaust). I had enough trouble mounting the damn thing that I don't feel like experimenting.