since i built the 456, and decided i wanted gears, i saw it as an oppertunity, to have all the LX stuff (still in perfect nick) off and use it on the 456, which is working brilliantly, and give the 2 year old trance a full overhaul.
everything off, cleaned, new bearings all over, etc, and indulge in a shiney X9 drive chain amongst other things

should i, and if so, how, drill out the cable stops?

full outers has been great on the rear mech (dont bother with the front mech), and im in no rush to go back to normal setup,
however the back end looks pretty scruffy with zip ties i think, anyone drilled out the stops and used them as guides?

ideally, i would want them to be those funky brake hose clips, i dont see what they dont just use them for everything (apart from the rear mech stop, obviously)

You will need a Drill, Drill bit and well thats it.

Use a long series 5.5mm bit.This lets you drill the guides without catching the frame with the chuck.

You will need to zip tie the sleeve in place around the guides or it will walk with the suspension action. Don't just tie it round the tubes, figure of 8 the ties around the guides.

be very careful with the drill – as dropoff suggests, long bit (and still you won't be able to go paraller to the cable direction)

mask the frame with at least 2 layers of tape to give you a warning that the chuck's about to grind it away, and be careful

– VERY

see thats what i was wondering about.
mite go with those hose guide adaptor thingys instead…

Drill it, Ive done a couple of frames and its piss easy unless your stupid, just take your time. Also, get some needle files or something like that to finish off the hole properly

Infact, you could just file it all away if your scared of drilling

needle file and a cup of tea?

I done the ones on the swingarm of my 575 without a second thought, just drilled them out easy.

You might need a long series drill. I did when I did my Morning Glory. Just be careful when the drill goes through as it might snatch as it breaks through as most cable guides are split to allow the cable to pass through

Just hacksaw off the closed end

You could, but full length outers aren't all that. Cleaning and keeping your cables clean is a better plan than mashing about with drills

done the ones on the seat stay of my hustler using a dremel with a tungsten carbide cutter (just 'cos it was the right shape).
the hardest bit is obviously orienting the drill in the right position at the right angle without it catching on anything else. This is why a dremel is handy as it's smaller.