Fixing a Stripped Sheet-Metal-Screw Hole

Written by Don Stewart | 31 March 2003

How many times have you stripped a hole when you tried to tighten a sheet metal screw? It can be a real problem if you’re attaching something that requires a special fastener on a concours car. At the very least, it can be a nuisance anytime.

There are several things you can do to fix the problem but here’s a simple fix that will often get you out of trouble if you have a little clearance behind the item being attached. Or it will work on a clip that will be hidden by something else.

Consider rocker panel molding clips for example. If you strip one of the attaching screws, take a plastic wall anchor and put it in the hole. You can screw your sheet metal screw in place by using the wall anchor as a filler in the stripped hole. It won’t be visible when the molding is installed.

For that concours part, the same thing applies. If the part has a recess on it’s back side, the flange of the wall anchor won’t interfere with the flush-mount of the part. You’ll be able to use your special concours fastener by screwing it into the anchor that you placed in the strip-out hole behind the part.

Wall anchors are available in many sizes at home improvement warehouses (Lowe’s, Home Depot) or hardware stores and they’ll secure light-weight parts that don’t need much to hold them in place. You may need enlarge the hole to fit the anchor but that’s easier than some other solutions.