Rear opening windows HPE

[spud]

Hi all,

I hate losing things! Soooo annoying! I've managed to lose the 6 small bolts that hold the rear side window catches (HPE) onto the inside of the rear pillars. No problem, you might think, just buy some new ones... well, that's what I thought too. But I've made the fascinating discovery that M3.5 is too small and M4 is too big. I don't really know how that can be but it is. The captive nuts in the rear pillars must be some bizarre size known only to Mafiosi...

Anyone breaking an HPE and want to sell me these bolts? Anyone got some spare? Or, failing that, anyone know what size the damn things are?

Yours frustratedly,
Andrew.

[mtulloch]

The screws on mine are self tappers.

[spud]

Mine might be soon... lol. I definitely have captive nuts in the rear pillars- I can move them around by a few mm with a tiny screwdriver.

Andrew.

[VXdeMayo]

Dear Andrew,
I have a set of six I have dug out from my VX HPE that I am stripping. They are not pristine but they will be better than ruining your captive nuts with self tappers. Let me know today if you can and I will put them in the post. ( As you might remember we are up in the Lakes on hols next week). Best of luck with the windscreen.
Chas and Anne,
(VXdeMAYO).

[spud]

Chas and Anne, Brilliant! I was beginning to wonder if my captive nuts were actually designed for self tappers- nice to have it confirmed they are bolts! PM sent with address details.

Andrew.

[spud]

Hi all,

Well, I received the bolts from Chas and Anne today (thanks guys!) and... I now know for sure that they are standard, common M-4 size. Which basically means that my captive nuts are obviously standard, common M-knackered...   Previous owner (or more likely Betacar who restored it... don't get me started... ) must've forced self-tappers into them...

At least it confirmed the size for me and thus gave me the confidence to attempt to re-tap the nuts. It worked! 

Andrew.