Ripped off rear wheel arch

[huwdm]

Oops - I appeared to have gone into my garage a bit tight and pulled out two of the bolts/screw holding in my rear wheel arch.
Will these screw back in or will I have to do something a bit more.
It appears to have ripped out of the bodywork in a not neat way!!

[Tango7]

huwdm said:

Oops - I appeared to have gone into my garage a bit tight and pulled out two of the bolts/screw holding in my rear wheel arch.
Will these screw back in or will I have to do something a bit more.
It appears to have ripped out of the bodywork in a not neat way!!

Sorry to hear about the damage but i don't expect you are the first (or last!) to do it. Presumably you mean a couple of rivi-nuts have pulled through on the front section of the wing. You can gently tap the bodywork back into shape to reform the hole and put a new rivi-nut back int place or there are ones that are made from rubber that when compressed fill a larger hole.

Here's a useful pageon Blatchat : http://www.blatchat.com/t.asp?id=177688

[Dave J]

I have a rivnut tool if you need it

[Yellow 7]

Top tip - do like the racers and fit nylon bolts - these will most likely shear off rather than pull rivnuts out. You can even put a little cut in them to help that... Just don't sit on the wings!

[huwdm]

Thanks for all that advice. Great stuff.
Where would I get nylon bolts from and what size?

[V7SLR]

M5 x 20: here

Stu.

[jimmyslr]

I can atest to this. Some of the plastic bolts you just use bolt and nut and only use rivnuts where you cannot get to the back of the panel. Also, racer types use about 2/3rd of the holes. It stays on fine, but rips off cleaner. On the track they are viewed as consumables; so says a Graduate racer, just after he left the rear wing of my car out on the track at Brands....

[EVS777]

Hi Huw,
You must remember its an SV , SORRY Mate not funny ,Im sure it can be sorted! Im sure Simon will have all tools required!!

Al..

[huwdm]

Even more important is to remember to open the garage door fully!

[ArosaMike]

I suggest taking the wing off, hammering the rivnuts/holes where the rivnuts were back in to shape and reassembling with plastic bolts. If you can't be bothered to search your local hardware store for nylon M5 bolts, Caterham Midlands will sell you a bag. I can verify that they do work. Rather too well as I discovered dipping a wheel into the gravel pit on the exit of Paddock Hill during qualifying the other week. I'm told it flew about 5m into the air....

[huwdm]

Thanks again all - I have possibly a stupid question as I am new to all this DIY stuff so excuse my ignorance!
Do I need to be able to get to the inside of the car - that is do the bolts have nuts or are they some kind of self tapping bolt/screw?
The inside of my car is covered and I think secured with rivets so I have no way of securing a nut to a bolt without removing this cover.

[Seven Smiles]

No, it's not essential to get inside though it's easier to repair the bodywork when you can. Rivnuts are like pop rivets that you then screw a bolt into.

Edited by Seven Smiles on Sunday 5th September 11:25

[BertBert]

ArosaMike said:

I suggest taking the wing off, hammering the rivnuts/holes where the rivnuts were back in to shape and reassembling with plastic bolts.

You will need new rivnuts where you can't get behind the panel.
Bert