Stripped Awing Spring Retainer Bolt Hole

[LJ-TJ]

 Hm? So I was winding the spring in the awning and when I was finished I slid the fitting back into the arm. When we tried to put the bolt back in to hold the spring we stripped the bolt hole. The cap is made out of aluminum. Can I just use self taping metal screw to hold it in or do I have to replace the whole spring?

[DaveVA78Chieftain]

Not sure.  Would depend on thickness of metal boss.  You may have to fill the hole with epoxy steel, drill and tap it.

Dave 

[Oz]

Tap the hole for a slightly larger bolt or, as you said, use a self-tapper to make the new thread - BUT REMEMBER... the self-tapper has that cutting bit end and you want to use the same length screw as the original one,

If I had a dollar for every time I had to do this...

[Lefty]

Another option, depending on how thick the material is that its going into, is replacing the stripped threads with a thread insert. Heli-Coil is a common brand.