Best way to access.....
 

...the backing plate in the B pillar area for the door latch striker.

Four of the four nuts are stripped on mine and I can't keep the door latch in alignment when the striker plate moves over 1/2". The B pillar seems to be solidly boxed. Is there an access point I am missing?

Thanks,
Herb

Re: Best way to access.....
 

Nope. It is a bugger. I would cut a slotted hole to try to get the old plate out and the replacement in. Unfortunately this is one of those real uguly places to fix on blazers.

Re: Best way to access.....
 

Wouldn't it be easier to fix the stripped bolt holes? J.

Re: Best way to access.....
 

May be worth a try first. The nuts are held captive (welded) on a backing plate that can move around for adjustment, so my first thought was to swap out the backing plate braket with one I got from a board member with some door latches I bought (since I already have the 'good' part). I wa hoping that I was just missing some access trick that was not obvious to me.

I guess nothing is lost but time if I try to repair the threads first and I fail to do so. That would be considerably better than hacking the B pilar to get at it. The threads are beyond thread chasing as the internal threads are mostly gone. Should I simply overdrill and tap for the next size bolt? I seem to recall that they are already 5/16-20, so 3/8-16 would be the next step. My initial thought with a Heli-Coil is that they are mostly for blind holes in castings - I don't know if they work on through-holes in nuts. I guess another method would be to weld them up, re-drill and tap for the original bolt size.

Any suggestions on a thread repair technique? Anyone know of a threaded insert repair that works on nuts?

Thanks,
Herb

Re: Best way to access.....
 

Use Heli coils. They are easy to use and actually very strong. Just size the bolts that go into those nuts; that will tell you which heli-coil kit to buy. Go down to your local Ace hardware (or whereever), and purchase the kit. Use the apropriate drill to redrill the damaged bolts out, retap with the provided tap in the kit and install the new threads.. voila... your done.
Tom:metal:

Re: Best way to access.....
 

X2, couldn't of said it any better.... J

Re: Best way to access.....
 

I think they are 3/8 fine. I would first try to heli coil them. If the first one does'nt work then its cut and weld time. Good luck.

Re: Best way to access.....
 

Finally got a chance to try the Heli-Coils today. They worked great - I never realized they could be used on through-holes in thinner stock, but they did great. The bolt size is 3/8-16 NC. These may not be the originals and that may be why they where stripped, but they work fine now. My door closes and the annoying rattle is gone (at least that one...)

Thanks guys!
Herb

Re: Best way to access.....
 

Hey Herb, since you live right down the street we need to get together sometime. We already have a few guys that get together now (me, Critter, Blue Thunder, and Blizz) so it'd be cool to have one more. I don't recall seeing any pics of your Blazer do you mind posting some?

Re: Best way to access.....
 

Sounds cool!:metal: :metal:

here's a couple of my ride...

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...r/P9210001.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f3...mpletePass.jpg

Herb