[79bird]

Ok so I have armrests in my 1979 firebird and the armrest has 3 points where it attaches to the door. One of the points has a hole too big for a screw to fit into it so when a person tries to close a door, it comes loose. Question is if there is some sort of a putty that i can use to make the hole smaller so that i can screw it in? A picture is attached below.

http://www.keenparts.com/kevin/Blog/...20Armrests.jpg

[DanTwoLakes]

Which hole is too big for the screw? My first thought is that one or all of the screws have been replaced at some point with screws that are not correct.

[79bird]

The hole is too big for the screw to fit into. It has been enlarged and we have tried various methods even with washers but to no avail. I was just wondering if there was a putty i could use to fill up that hole so when i screw the armrest in the hole, the screw head will stay in its place instead of coming out. I know the description sounds bad sorry about that.

[DanTwoLakes]

There is usually washers or strips of metal molded into the armrest to hold the screws. Are these new armrests?

[cobalt327]

Originally Posted by 79bird

The hole is too big for the screw to fit into. It has been enlarged and we have tried various methods even with washers but to no avail. I was just wondering if there was a putty i could use to fill up that hole so when i screw the armrest in the hole, the screw head will stay in its place instead of coming out. I know the description sounds bad sorry about that.

JB Weld and similar adhesives won't last long if the joint is under a lot of repeated stress, IMHO.

If the hole that's wallowed out is the inner door skin, you might be able to use a "rivet nut". These work in much the same way as the familiar dry wall anchors, where the nut part of the fastener expands to hold the screw as it's tightened. Other types require a tool similar to a pop rivet setter to install. A sheetmetal shop might be able to install one for you.

You might get by w/a simple snap nut:



Or a blind jack nut (click on image for details):


Obviously, welding the panel up and redrilling will work, but requires equipment and disassembly that you might not want to or be able to do. You might be able to hammer and dolly the hole closed (or close to it) so the screw will hold once again. If the door panel held by only the arm rest will allow you to reach up to the too-large hole, a screw/nut/washers will hold it- but this depends on how the access is.

Good luck!

[79bird]

Thanks you guys. I think I will try Cobalt327's method, and will pick the set up this weekend.
And Dantwolakes, there is no metal or any form of washer in the hole, its just the molded plastic material original to the car. Apparently its a common problem.

[cobalt327]

Originally Posted by 79bird

Thanks you guys. I think I will try Cobalt327's method, and will pick the set up this weekend.
And Dantwolakes, there is no metal or any form of washer in the hole, its just the molded plastic material original to the car. Apparently its a common problem.

I hope I didn't misunderstand you, if it's the armrest hole that has broken out to the point where a washer cannot get a hold of it, a rivet nut isn't going to help- the screw head still needs to have something to bear against.

I said earlier that JB Weld, etc. wouldn't hold, but if you can build up enough inside the tunnel that the screw goes into, and there's enough of the armrest hole material left for the adhesive to hold on to, it might work. I'd use the JB to hold a washer at the bottom and again at the top (about 1/2" thick or so, plus two washers). You'll need to build it up a layer at a time before redrilling the hole for the screw; using too much JB all at once might not cure right.