Lynchpin help!

Okay, I screwed up. I was re-installing my rear clip and had not yet connected my gas struts when I lost my grip and dropped the bodywork. It slammed shut fairly hard, and evidently impacted the center retainer post at a bit of an angle, as the lynchpin no longer slips in easily. Worse was the fact that the four screws that hold the metal retainer ring in the roof are now loose and spinning freely. I can't recall what the four machine screws threaded into. From beneath I now just have the four screws protruding from the surrounding fiberglass. Can someone shoot me a pic of the underside of the rear clip at the retainer post grommet? My fear is that there was a threaded insert that may have broken off.

Daryl send me your email address in a PM

John

Daryl,

Did you get this squared away?

Do you still need pics?

The retainer ring on mine is held on by 4 MACHINE screws. The screws can be seen from inside but, no bolts are visable. I believe either the nuts are glassed over or more likely there is a threaded plate that the machine screws go through that is glassed over.

Steve

Dayrl,

Took a few pics:

Thanks everybody. It seems that the four fine-thread machine screws are simply "self-threaded" into slightly smaller holes drilled into body work. The impact from dropping the hatch was evidently just enough of a shock to break the "bite" of those fine threads. Perhaps they considered this a kind of "fail safe" detail in case some bozo like me drops the hatch too hard. If there had been a threaded metal insert in the bodywork the impact might have popped out an entire chuck of fiberglass around the grommet. This way the threads on the grommet just strip out. I may either re-fill and re-drill the holes, or just "glue" the screws back in with some spot putty. It would appear that they are really just serving to keep the hold-down grommet located when the clip is open.

Thanks everybody. It seems that the four fine-thread machine screws are simply "self-threaded" into slightly smaller holes drilled into body work. The impact from dropping the hatch was evidently just enough of a shock to break the "bite" of those fine threads. Perhaps they considered this a kind of "fail safe" detail in case some bozo like me drops the hatch too hard. If there had been a threaded metal insert in the bodywork the impact might have popped out an entire chuck of fiberglass around the grommet. This way the threads on the grommet just strip out. I may either re-fill and re-drill the holes, or just "glue" the screws back in with some spot putty. It would appear that they are really just serving to keep the hold-down grommet located when the clip is open.

Now how the heck did I do That? Sorry for the double post.