Stripped Dash Screws... Help?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 792
Likes: 1
From: Louisiana, It's Always Party Time!
Stripped Dash Screws... Help?
Two of the four screws holding the center gauge bezel in the dash have stripped out. 
Does anyone have any workable solutions to this problem? Thanks for any and all replies.
Jay
Does anyone have any workable solutions to this problem? Thanks for any and all replies. Jay
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 891
Likes: 165
From: Oswego IL
You could also use Riv-nuts. They install much like a pop rivet with a special Riv nut tool that secures a threaded shank into the hole. A machine screw is then used to tighten everything back up. Menards has the Rive nuts and tool. Great for use on the stripped door sill panels as well.
One of the Corvette magazines did an article on these as well.
One of the Corvette magazines did an article on these as well.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 9,206
Likes: 17
From: Sewell NJ
The easiest way to deal with this is to take some white glue and some flat toothpicks and fill them in. Take the toothpics and cover them with white glue. Insert two or three into the hole and leave them there until the glue dries. Once they are dry clip them off with a wire cutter. When you go to insert the screws they will be tight and hold well. I've done this a number of times.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 7,106
Likes: 38
From: Newark DE
sorry if this sounds like a bubba fix but it works well and it's fast and easy....... insert those plastic drywall anchors into the stripped out holes and the screw will hold very well.
When I tore apart a lot of the interior panels of my '65 earlier this winter I found the blue sized drywall anchors in almost everyhole because thoughout 40 years of previous owners the holes in the fiberglass had stripped out. Someone put these anchors in and they work incredibly well. Checking on the C1/C2 forum at the time it seems to be a fairly common "fix" unless you are motivated enough to fiberglass back over each hole and redrill them
When I tore apart a lot of the interior panels of my '65 earlier this winter I found the blue sized drywall anchors in almost everyhole because thoughout 40 years of previous owners the holes in the fiberglass had stripped out. Someone put these anchors in and they work incredibly well. Checking on the C1/C2 forum at the time it seems to be a fairly common "fix" unless you are motivated enough to fiberglass back over each hole and redrill them
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 8,339
Likes: 24
From: I can walk to MA
I remember a post on this a while back.
What I vaguely recall was a metal insert that was like an oversized sheet
metal screw on the outside, but machine screw threads in the hollow center.
.. kind of like a heli-coil .... or maybe someone WAS using a small
helicoil ... which is what I will use if I can't find what I described.
Just a little adhesive in the hole and spin it in. 8-32 size should work well.
This is effectively doing what Ron suggests with the riv-nuts.
I have a riv nutter and they don't seem well suited for thick
plastic ... unless you glue them into an oversized hole.
Otherwise, the expanding riv-nut would crack the plastic - IMO.
What I vaguely recall was a metal insert that was like an oversized sheet
metal screw on the outside, but machine screw threads in the hollow center.
.. kind of like a heli-coil .... or maybe someone WAS using a small
helicoil ... which is what I will use if I can't find what I described.
Just a little adhesive in the hole and spin it in. 8-32 size should work well.
This is effectively doing what Ron suggests with the riv-nuts.
I have a riv nutter and they don't seem well suited for thick
plastic ... unless you glue them into an oversized hole.
Otherwise, the expanding riv-nut would crack the plastic - IMO.
Last edited by NHvette; Apr 13, 2006 at 10:10 AM.
Instructor
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 103
Likes: 0
From: Pittsburgh PA
Here is a link to a similar question I asked a while ago. I got some goot replies.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1330706
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1330706
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Advanced
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 77
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by BarryK
sorry if this sounds like a bubba fix but it works well and it's fast and easy....... insert those plastic drywall anchors into the stripped out holes and the screw will hold very well.
When I tore apart a lot of the interior panels of my '65 earlier this winter I found the blue sized drywall anchors in almost everyhole because thoughout 40 years of previous owners the holes in the fiberglass had stripped out. Someone put these anchors in and they work incredibly well. Checking on the C1/C2 forum at the time it seems to be a fairly common "fix" unless you are motivated enough to fiberglass back over each hole and redrill them
When I tore apart a lot of the interior panels of my '65 earlier this winter I found the blue sized drywall anchors in almost everyhole because thoughout 40 years of previous owners the holes in the fiberglass had stripped out. Someone put these anchors in and they work incredibly well. Checking on the C1/C2 forum at the time it seems to be a fairly common "fix" unless you are motivated enough to fiberglass back over each hole and redrill them
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,359
Likes: 15
From: Confusion
Here is what I did, you can use nylon wire ties, they come in varying widths. Cut a short piece, put an "L" shape bend in one end, this keeps it from falling through the hole. Assemble like normal, screw crushes nylon in hole and holds. Later....................B
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 4,751
Likes: 2,499
From: Buckeye, AZ
St. Jude Donor '12-'13
As you are finding out decades old plastice doesn't hold so well! I ahve done a number of things. Eastwood sells a plastic rebuilder which works well, epoxy works, bondo at times as well. One I use which works well is to use a "u" clip. These come for sheet metal screws or threaded. Where hidden just slide it around the plastic remaining edge and thread the screw through. If it shows, then expoxy a flat tin speed nut on the back. I have found using the speed nut solution the most permanent.
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 1,345
Likes: 3
Originally Posted by corvetteload
Here is what I did, you can use nylon wire ties, they come in varying widths. Cut a short piece, put an "L" shape bend in one end, this keeps it from falling through the hole. Assemble like normal, screw crushes nylon in hole and holds. Later....................B
