I just had to drill out the screw head which holds on the left hand hinge on the engine lid. There's some type of captive nut loose in the frame. I was expecting to drill and tap but I can't hold it still. Does anybody know how to refix the lid?
have you got any of the screw shaft left to get mole grips/locking pliers on to hold it still? - you could hold one while you work on the other? alternativly you could try putting a few spots of weld on the remains of the screws, this may give you a bit more length to get a set of grips on, and the heat might free it up a little to allow you to remove the remains using grips ....rather than drilling out (which I would use as the last resort having said that, the captive plate with the threaded holes should be in a cradle type attachment to stop it moving too far - so it wont spin around when you do try to drill. If drilling, try starting off with a very small sharp drill to start a pilot hole and work up to the right size .....before you get to the last size you could also try some 'easy outs' ....which are a reverse thread stud typr thing for removing similar items.....be careful with them though, if you snap them they are harder than the screw to drill through
Is it a one screw hinge (the wire hinge type) or a two screw hinge? you might have problems if it's just one screw - with two you could hold it in place while you drill and tap the other.
I cut into the panel on mine and made a new captive nut to replace the knackerd one then welded the panel back up
You can get into the back of the panel from the engine bay , worst way drill a hole into the hinge panel from the engine bay and get a nut and washer in from the inside
Many thanks folks. The trophy goes to Diddyman. It's a single screw jobbie and it was possible to drill the remains out by pushing up onto it. I used a smaller drill as suggested and I think it actually screwed the remains right through the thread without damaging it.
