ok...did some stuff, now reassembling, so here's my problem: I can't bolt my seatbelt back in. sounds easy to fix, but my family name is cursed, so it's hard for me. I discovered that the hole on the driver's side is boogered up, so I go to buy a tap for the hole. brought the bolt with me to pep boys, and thought I found the right sized tap. tried it, and I think I boogered up the hole worse. what the hell am I supposed to do? how can I be sure I get the correct size tap? or should I just drill the bitch out and use a bigger size bolt that I'm sure of? I hope I don't get pulled over soon, no seatbelt...

oo that sucks, i think you should try and retap the hole with the correct tap, if that doesnt work you can go to a bigger bolt or perhaps a heli-coil



mike

i know what size the head of the bolt is, but how can I be sure I have the correct threads? it's like stripped threads is in my genes, yet I haven't figured out how to live with it

maybe you should stop wearing jeans?

um i dunno what size that bolt is, but all seat belt bolts are the same size, you may have noticed that its a standard head. you need one of those thread pitch meansurers like they have at hardware stores



mike

try to clean up the threads if at all possible. Just get a thread chaser and some spray lube

so I need a thread pitch measurer and a thread chaser? do these go by any other term?

man, I wish these part store personnel were more knowledgeable, but that would make things easier, and we can't have that

try a hardware store



mike

pep boys isnt a parts store... they are a idiot factory

i call it pap smear boys...a conglomerate of automotive idiots

how are your feelings about lowe's and ace hardware? I think I'll try them next

yup, they deal with nuts all day!



mike

I agree. Pep Boys is a mess. They're okay if you can find what you need off the shelf, but then you have to stand in line to pay 'cause they only have one register open. I've given up on them. I like Advance Auto here in Va. Generally excellent service.



If you've already been at it with a tap, it's gonna be a bitch to fix. You can try the other suggestions first, but I think you might need to start with a new, slightly larger bolt, and the correct tap for that bolt. Good luck.

thanks for all your help on such a trivial matter...though a seatbelt is kinda important...but I think I might be able to salvage the current threads, considering I only went at it with the incorrect tap only a little, I didn't really try to force it hard...one can only hope

i think you can fix it, it doesnt sound that bad, just remember to lubricate the tap/threads



mike

any special lube?

i like wd40, but anything will work ok, motor oil, silicon spray, windex anything set and slippery



mike

You are using as metric tap arent you?

Don't use a heli-coil, it won't hold in an accident. To lube it try and use something oil based, like WD40. When you get the correct tap make sure that you are following the old threads

so I go to ace hardware on my lunchbreak, and the guy helping me finds the right tap (I think), it has smaller thread gaps. It turns out that this guy had his bad-ass fd parked outside, the one I pulled up right next to. ok, this is cool because I've only seen one in person. "how much did you pay for that?" he say: "my friend went to jail, and I took over payments for him so his credit wouldn't go bad." lucky bastard



anyways, I don't think I have the muscle to make the right tap go in without messing it up more, I think I'll drive over to my dad's tonight and have him help me