We are working to finish the interior trim in a '49 3100. We are having difficulty finding replacement parts for the captive style nuts that hold the lower panel on the forward edge of each door. Some of them broke out when the truck was disassembled.
These are the panels that cover access hole and the bolts that attach the lower hinge to the door. The hardware is 1/4-20 screws. My searches lead me to pictures of the door interior panel but no close-ups of the nuts or details about them.
Are these regular "cage" nuts or are they some type of "rivnut" that expands to fill the hole?
Housekeeping (Moderator) Making a Stovebolt Bed & Paint and Body Shop Forums
Those nuts are pressed into the sheet metal. Similar to these. [mcmaster.com] But the problem is being able to press them in place in the completed door. They can be replaced by weld nuts, similar tothese. [mcmaster.com]. Or you could carefully tack in standard hex nuts. I used some of their low-profile narrow-base weld nuts to replace some of the captive nuts on my right inner fender where it's bolted to the floor.
Kevin Newest Project - 51 Chevy 3100 work truck. Photos [flickr.com] #2 - '29 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. First car '29 Ford Special Coupe Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
Since their on the door covered by the access panel, why not use a rivet nut. There is a kit on Jeg’s really reasonable. I sure you would also find them on eBay and Amazon too. No access or welding needed and nobody is the wiser! [LINK] [jegs.com]
Last edited by Phak1; Thu Jan 28 2021 03:21 PM.
Phil Moderator, The Engine Shop, Interiors and Gallery Forums
Many thanks for the great inputs and ideas as well as prompt responses.
Your suggestions give us some alternatives to consider. We are probably past the stage where we can easily do any welding. The door has been finish painted.
I like the both cinch (press) nut and rivnut approach.
I will be with the owner and working on the truck tomorrow so we will decide how to proceed.
Housekeeping (Moderator) Making a Stovebolt Bed & Paint and Body Shop Forums
Since it's already painted, I would go with rivnuts as Phil suggested. Those are also available from McMaster Carr. And you don't have to buy a ton of them. Link [mcmaster.com] I used some on my daughter's Jetta a few years back and the kit I installed included a flat piece of aluminum that was used to crush them in place using a bolt and washer that was greased up. So McMaster's $30 manual installation tool wasn't needed.
Kevin Newest Project - 51 Chevy 3100 work truck. Photos [flickr.com] #2 - '29 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. First car '29 Ford Special Coupe Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
I had forgotten that I used a large (12mm) riven to attach a steel under tray on a VW New Beetle convertible. You are correct that you do not need the special setting tool. They make it easier if you are doing a lot them but not cost effective to set only a few.
Housekeeping (Moderator) Making a Stovebolt Bed & Paint and Body Shop Forums
Originally Posted by MNSmith
They make a smaller tool.
The tool that came with the Jetta skid plate install was just a flat piece of aluminum with the appropriate sized hole in it. I recall it had some serrations around the hole on the side that goes toward the rivnut flange to help keep the nut from turning until it grabbed the hole it was inserted in. Would be pretty easy to fab one of those. Cheap too!
Kevin Newest Project - 51 Chevy 3100 work truck. Photos [flickr.com] #2 - '29 Ford pickup restored from the ground up. First car '29 Ford Special Coupe Busting rust since the mid-60's If you're smart enough to take it apart, you darn well better be smart enough to put it back together.
