Technical 48 chevy fleetmaster door hinge problems. Please help

I have a problem with my driver side door on my 48 fleetmaster. Someone has been into the door hinges before and the top 3 bolts won't tighten. The threaded plate in the door pillar has stripped threads on all 3 bolts. I chased them with a tap, but the threads are too gone. Does anyone know a fix for this? I tried to see how to remove the threaded plate, but it looks like it is not removable.
Thanks Tony

 

can you put a longer screw with a nut on the back?

 

Your question got me thinking, took some pictures for visual help.

The first pictures is looking up from the bottom.

There is some room but not much. The picture is a bit deceiving on how much room you have to work with. My approach would be to make a template from the outside and weld the nuts to it. Then with a wire or some how pull it up from the top as you can see from the 2nd and 3rd picture. Hope this helps.

 

How about drilling and tapping to the next larger size ?

 

That's a good idea bob. The bolts used for the doors are countersunk. I wonder if going up a size will cause an issue?

 

My 46 Olds were similar, I welded them up, use a brass block behind. Grind the welds down, redrill and tap with correct thread. It can be a PITA and fiddly. An alternative is to drill them out and use those thread resizing inserts with the correct size thread. Insofar as countersunk screws are concerned, Fusick has them, they are a UNF thread from memory.

 

If there's enough 'meat' (incorrect term, but close enough for explanation) left in the existing nut, you may try a helicoil insert. If not, then your next logical step could be a rivnut.

Helicoils should be available at your local parts store - Grainger has rivnuts. I'd also grab new screws while you're looking.

 

Thanks everyone for the great advice and the excellent pictures. I had thought about making a new plate and welding nuts to it, but it looks like the original plate is completely captured in there. Can't tell from the picture if maybe its open on the top? Not sure how to get the old plate out. I will have more time this weekend to check it out closer. It looks like there are several option to try to fix it.
Thanks again,
Tony

 

There should be some way to get it out (they had to put it in somehow). It may lift out from the top. Worst case, you have to cut the bracket that holds it then weld it back together later. You may need to remove the door and upholstery panel to get at it.

If you can get the plate out it will be a lot easier to repair, or to make up a replacement. It is probably just a piece of steel with tapped holes.

 

if you make a new plate, and can't get the old one out. drill larger holes in the old one, weld a thin rod to the new one to slide it in place over the old and bolt it on.

 

You can drill out the spot welds that hold the metal covering the "floating nut plate", and remove it. Then, either drill and weld in nuts, or use Heli-Coils to repair the stripped threads.
Then you can re-weld on the cover, repositioning it is easy if you were careful drilling it out.

 

I am finishing a 41 Chevy right now. Several of the captured nuts were rusted like that. Heli-coils work great in fixing them.