Spinning insert in Stage 2 spoiler - how to fix?
 

Getting ready to take my 16 ZO6 to the track and went to put the wickerbill back on. When I removed the short screws in the rear spoiler - one of them would not come out. It just spins around and it looks like the thread insert is loose in the spoiler.

I used the search engine and did not find a thread were this has happened.

Has anyone else had this issue, and if so, how did you fix it? At a minimum, it looks like I have to take off the rear facia to get to the under side of the spoiler.

Any thoughts, suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Bill

You can't access it from under either. The spoiler is completely enclosed. The best thing I can think of is to pull out while unscrewing. If you manage to get the screw out. Shove a bunch of super glue on the insert. Otherwise look up rivnuts but be very careful not to crack the plastic or over torque the screws again.

Hand tight, slightly snug.

Here's how I fixed my APR spoiler inserts.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ler-fixed.html

Thanks for the replies. Looking at the part online, I thought it might be solid and the insert not accessable from the underside, verification appreciated.

Patches - do you know what the part number is for the 6mm rivnut that you installed? Is it cad plated steel or brass? Countersunk head or flathead?

B

Not that it helps you now I tighten mine with the long end of an allen wrench in the screw so I can only put a tiny amount of torque on them. I have an aftermarket APR spoiler and having those nutserts spin/strip was of concern.

Patches has a nice repair process.

I had to replace the 6mm rivnuts with 1/4"-20 rivnuts since I had to drill out the existing rivnuts to extract them. I have a whole box of the 1/4"-20 rivnuts I bought for another project so they came in handy. The new rivnuts are solid and work like the originals. I did find 1/4"-20 flat head screws to match the outer 6mm screws that came with the APR spoiler.

A quick update. The stock spoiler base is made of plastic, not very thick (1/16 or so) and the nuts are molded into the plastic. Looking at the APR spoiler in Patches thread,it appears much thicker than the plastic. In trying to remove the screw, using the approach Patches described, I ended up breaking the nut completely out of the plastic. Of course the nut came off the screw with no issues.

Note to self -- do not add blue loctite to spoiler screws.

Trying to epoxy the screw back into the spoiler base. If that doesn't work - I will be replacing the spoiler base with a new one (over $550 shipped) or may even consider the APR Z06 spoiler from Weapon X.

Thanks for all of the responses.

Yeah Jesus dude loctite? It requires less torque than a screw driver can put by hand. Loctite is definitely overkill.

Live and learn... no loctite on spoiler bolts!