Resize holes made with self tapping screws ?

[Racer57]

Various places on our cars there is places that a self tapping screw is used to hold an interior panel etc.

Is there a trick to fix stripped out holes without using a bigger screw or welding it shut and starting over ?

[jimynick]

If you can get a dolly or hammer head behind the hole, take a small ball pein hammer and tapping around the other side edge of the hole, work the metal back into it a bit and then take it easy when you install the screws- unlike the ham hand that stripped them out, eh? LOL 

[FSHTAIL]

Could do a nutsert or rivnut.. 

[soundcontrol]

I have tons of those holes on my Challenger, my interior had all kinds of screws, drywall screws, wood screws etc. Think I'm gonna TIG weld the holes. Maybe with that softer bronze stuff. MAG welds are hard to drill thru again.

[Burdar]

You already know the "correct" way to do it.  If you need something quick to get the car back on the road you can use a plastic drywall anchor pushed into the hole.  I've never done that but I have used a paper clip inserted into a hole to decrease it's size so a fastener will "bite".

On my Challenger, one of the rear window interior trim holes was damaged.  There was a crack in the metal and one side of the hole was pushed in.  It was the very lowest hole on the PS down by the package tray.  Very hard area to try and repair.  I ended up epoxying a small metal patch over the hole and then drilled it out for the screw.  It's holding fine.

[chargerdon]

Worse but similar problem...   the "insert" in the fender to hold the screw for the outside mirror, is still in the hole, but turns so that i cant tighten down the screw.   

What is the best way to repair this without damaging the paint on the fender ??   

[Burdar]

That is called a rivnut.  It can be replaced with another one.  If you had the installation tool(it looks just like a rivet gun) you might be able to tighten up the existing rivnut. 

[Ns1aar]

That is called a rivnut.  It can be replaced with another one.  If you had the installation tool(it looks just like a rivet gun) you might be able to tighten up the existing rivnut.

Get the serrated rivnut and it won't spin later installs the same way