So I picked up an '87 IROC some time back and the majority of the studs on the hood louvers were busted off. I decided to replace the plastic studs with bolts and am hoping this will fix the problem for good.

So here is how I did it:

Started off by carefully breaking off the remaining studs with some needle nose pliers, and then using my die grinder with a carbide bit, I ground the remaining material down so it was flush.



Next I took sixteen 1/4"-20 x 1/2" round headed bolts and ground them flat with my angle grinder ,so they would sit flush in the holes. I also used some metric flat washers so that there would be more surface area for the epoxy to adhere to.




Next I mixed up the two part epoxy per the directions and added a good amount to each hole. Then all of the bolts with washers were added and I made sure all of the bolts were positioned real well.


I let both of the louvers dry undisturbed for a few days and then bolted them to the car using some rubber backed washers and 1/4"-20 nuts. You want to make sure you don't over tighten them or you run the risk of breaking the epoxy loose. Also once I get the car painted I'm going to use some loctite on them to make sure they don't back off.


So that's pretty much it and I hope this gives you an idea of how easy this is to fix. I spent right at $15 for all of the hardware and epoxy which is a heck of a lot cheaper than $300+ for new louvers lol!

 

Thanks for the write up. I was trying to figure out a way to repair my louver. This will help me a lot. Should make this a stickie.

 

Just a suggestion if you are going to do something like this then drill some holes in the bolt head. That way epoxy goes through the holes, it will be much stronger.

 

Great write up man. Have you drivent the car with them since as I just worry they wont hold is all.

 

This is the exact same way I repaired mine. held up great for a couple years until i sold the car.

 

old post, but would you happen to have the pics?
I've got an idea what and how you did it...
How did it hold up?

 

I do have the pics and will repost them when I get home from work. They seem to be holding up great! Not loose at all...

 

Also be a good time to give them a coat of paint, help keep the sun off the plastic. I used satin black and a coat of clear to get the right look.

 

I think it would be very important to make sure you put the hood insulation back in place after using epoxy. Heat weakens epoxy. In fact it is one of the few ways and in my opinion the easiest way to remove epoxy when needed. A hard dryer and a little prying and epoxy usually comes apart pretty easily. I have 4 sets of louvers I have snagged from Pick n Pull over the years and all of them have some broken studs. I'm going to try this technique on a set. But as noted, I am going to make sure to use the insulation!

 

Yes insulation is important.

 

That makes sense due to the metal picking up the heat and transferring it. Wouldn’t heat resistant epoxy be a good option?

 

I worry about the epoxy's ability to hold the bond with metal well. I would be interested in knowing how much force it would take to pull one out. The best way might be to fill the "hole" with epoxy, put the bolt in the hole and then cover the bolt head with more epoxy and put a plastic washer over it lightly to give it a flatter surface. That way it's far less likely to pull out. If you used a standard hex head it would also be less likely to spin but more prone to cracking the epoxy if you were jerking the wrench on the nut impactfully.

 

I did the same and it worked, for a while...
I just went to a car wash and both louvers went flying and broke.
I used the best gorilla epoxy that I found.




Any better glue?

 

Something like a body panel adhesive would probably work best for this kind of repair.

 

When a carwash ripped off one of the louvers on my '85 I went to only hand washing my vehicles.

 

You should anyway. Those rollers in an automatic car wash are far from clean. The soaps in a manual or automatic car wash are vod knows what. The pressures used I the sprayer can take off vinyl and the higher pressure can force water between weatherstripping and the panel. I would only power wash some wheels, wheel wells, tires and underbodies. Maybe radiators.

If I break another pair of louvers I'll just pay up for the real metal version one of our members is selling.

 

I carefully drill out the remains if the stud and use fine thread big head torx bolts that are self tapping. I have repaired a lot of them and they all hold...have for years

 

Ok, this is what I did...


First broke the remaining of the studs...


Ok, this

Flatten them out with a Dremel...



This is how it looks with the glue and the bolts...




This is what I used...

 

And this is the final result...