Stripped screws on Master Cylinder

[watpress]

I have an old 83 Argo 8x8 which works really well. After a fairly long run I noticed I was having trouble turning left. I thought I should check the brake fluid in the master cylinder, something I had never done since I bought it a few years ago. Lo and behold, I noticed that the screws (4 of them) on the MC were rusted and stripped. I tried getting them out, but no luck, just stripped them more.

Any one run into this before? Any ideas? Where would I find replacement MCs? Are they easy to change out? Are they expensive?

[ARGOJIM]

You could try a drill bit, left handed(reversed) bit would work best. Once the head is off they should come out by hand. You could also try cutting a straight slot in the head for a standard screwdriver. Bolts are cheap and should be available locally.

[phabib]

If that doesn't work, you can get a thread repair insert, such as a Helicoil. There are a bunch of different brands out there, some are no doubt better or stronger but Helicoils are easily available and work fine.