Clinch Nut Repair Tip?

[Farrell In Vancouver]

Helping my Dad out on re restoring his 30 Closed Cap P/U and found some boogered up D-Nits or clinch nuts in the A-Pillars. These secure the windshield escutcheons to the A pillar and someone installed the wrong thread brass screws in and of course they broke off clean. I tried to drill the brass out but just managed to screw them up even more, so replacement was the best way to go. I ground them down so they could be punched back inside and cleaned up the surface. Now, how the heck to get the new 10-32 Clinches in? No way to crimp them without building a tool for each area. I found and old original screw and drilled a 5/64ths hole through it and slid a long piece of welding rod through it. This was tacked on the end with a MIG to hold the wire in side the screw. I then threaded the D-Nut on and used the rod to fish it into the hole in the A-pillar. A set of vise grips secured to a bungee cord held the D-nut firmly in place, and the I tacked it around in three or four places. the excess weld was ground off and the threads tested with another screw. Works a treat!
Hope this helps someone with the same issues.Cheers!

[Brentwood Bob]

Will remember this workaround. Thanks.

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Good way to do this providing you have steel D-nits however one or two of the vendors was selling brass ones which makes them easy to install with the tool but difficult when you want to weld them in.

[wrndln]

Farrell,
I had the same problem on the rear body crossmember on my phaeton. The 8 D nuts were missing, I have no idea why. First I fished the D nuts into the holes, like you are doing. I used some J-B Weld to "glue" them in place. If you can get the D nuts in place, the force of the screws will be plenty to hold the D nuts in place forever. However, the D nuts glued in the blind cossmember fell out as I tried to install the body back panel. I think the gluing problem was due to rust or dirt on the inside of the crossmember, causing the D nuts to not hold. Plan B. Since the D nuts can't be seen once the body part(s) are installed, I decided to use my Lincoln SP100 MIG welder (I love that little welder) to tack the D nuts in place. I remember grinding down the face of the D nuts that stick up and fishing each D nut in place using plenty of pressure to make sure the D nut is tight against the inside of the metal. It worked quite well.


Note: I didn't read your post correctly, in that you already repaired the pickup like I did a few years ago -sorry.

Rusty Nelson

[Farrell In Vancouver]

It seems great minds think alike Rusty...LOL
I had not thought of gluing them (don't have any anyway) but I did need a way of holding them still for a few tacks. Certainly is a nasty place to try a repeat the D-nut install without dismantling the whole part or parts.

[midgetracer]

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I bought some D nuts from one of the fine vendors and could not crimp them in place with all the force I could apply. I tried to tack weld them in place and they must have been a hard brass alloy because they disappeared when the Mig hit them.

[leo]

If the D nuts are to be used in a blind area where they are not seen and the area where they are attached is not seen either I've found pop rivets can be used on the flange surrounding them to hold them in place.