Bugeye windscreen stanchions are fastened to the body by four large machine screws. The front screws on each stanchion (towards the bonnet) are held in place by captive nuts welded into the area where the A-pillar and cowl meet. Unfortunately, these captive nuts often corrode, or strip, which makes it impossible to attach the front mount for the windshield frame to the car.
We occasionally get calls from customers who wonder what to do when those front captive threads are stripped. Once you’ve exhausted efforts to rescue the threads in the car, which we always strive to preserve, this is the next best solution that we’ve used to make these fixtures tight!
Step one is to drill a pilot hole from the outside of your car into the sheet metal beneath, which is visible behind the dashboard above where your outboard knee would be located. Then, from the back side (inside the car), drill a larger hole the size of the 1/2″ socket you will use to attach the stanchion. You are essentially creating an access hole that will allow you to bypass the captive nut and to use a socket to secure that forward stanchion screw. Simply feed a flat washer and 1/2″ nyloc nut onto the now exposed stud and you’re all set!
In some cases, you may need a longer stanchion to body screw after this change… give us a call, we are always happy to help our customers!
