Help - need a bracket fix

[JimJr]

I noticed my hood latch bracket was broken, by the grace of God, in my driveway and not on the road. I bought a replacement from the junkyard but I have a problem, the bolt on the left side (passenger) will not tighten to the nut that is welded to the frame. I think this is what caused my old bracket to fail; the left side was loose which caused the right side to crack and fail?

Any rate, I tried several bolts on that nut on the left side and none will tighten so the nut threads must be stripped. I though of getting a longer bold and just back it with another nut but access is nearly impossible, any other ideas so I can get my car back on the road?

 

[buddha93]

Well, a MIG and a tap could probably take care of it, but I'm not sure how much room there is to work with the welder. I'll take a peak under the hood tomorrow to get a better idea of how it's laid out.

 

[buddha93]

Looking at it breifly today, if you have access to a welder, I'd fill the hole, drill, and retap it. Otherwise, go one size up with a tap and replace with a corresponding bolt. I have to say, that's a pretty odd break. They must have stripped the one side at the factory all those years ago and has been wearing ever since.

 

[93Cobra#2771]

X2 - never seen one broken. Seen dozens bent like crazy though.

 

[JimJr]

Could someone tell me the size (info to have the correct retap) of the OE bolt? I think I'm gonna fill and retap the nut so I can retain the OE hardware.