57 Interior and garnish screw holes becoming oversized

Ward 57

Ward 57

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Thunderbird Year
1957
As I'm getting ready to tighten up and clean the interior garnishes, there are several where the screw holes are getting enlarged and won't let the screws bite. I've tried paper clips and such to take up the room to no avail. Has anybody come up with a solution other than using incorrect over sized screws?
 

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Ward 57 said:
As I'm getting ready to tighten up and clean the interior garnishes, there are several where the screw holes are getting enlarged and won't let the screws bite. I've tried paper clips and such to take up the room to no avail. Has anybody come up with a solution other than using incorrect over sized screws?
Click to expand...

A common problem with many of the sheet metal screw holes in our old cars. Every time it happens to me, I silently thank the idiot in years past who never learned how to properly line up an "lightly" tighten a screw.. Depending upon the situation and pieces to be tightened, I have used a short piece of copper wire of appropriate diameter and beaten it flat with a hammer. I then bend it into a "U" shape and insert it into the hole and then screw the screw in. As you might guess this takes a bit of trial and error and sometimes works depending on the geometry of the pieces involved. Other times, once again depending upon the pieces involved, I use a hammer and dolly and peen the screw hole sheet metal. This has the effect of displacing metal into the oversized screw hole thus allowing the screw to bite.

Good Luck
 
Ward 57 said:
As I'm getting ready to tighten up and clean the interior garnishes, there are several where the screw holes are getting enlarged and won't let the screws bite. I've tried paper clips and such to take up the room to no avail. Has anybody come up with a solution other than using incorrect over sized screws?
Click to expand...
Has anybody tried filling th hole with something like epoxy or JB weld?
 
I've had success with JB Weld. As long as you're nice and easy with putting the screw back in, it should work.
It's worth a try.
 
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