I'm finishing up summer maintenance on my Thiokol Imp (1404) and have a question regarding the hardware that holds some of the panels together. I have 1/4-20 hex head screws securing the access plates on the bed (covering the fuel tank & driveline) and below and in front of the engine. As best I can tell, there are press-fit nuts on the back side that the screws fit in to. About half of these nuts are stripped out, so to date I've been getting by w/ only a few screws holding the access covers in place. I'd like to do a better job of securing them, but am not sure what hardware to use. McMaster-Carr sells the appropriate press-fit nuts, but says that you need an arbor press (w/ access to both sides of the panel) to mash them into place. Is there a better way to do this? Clip-on nuts might work for the aluminum panels on the bed, but I don't think they'd do the trick for the engine panels. Suggestions?
Thanks
Ron
Thanks
Ron