Rock screen alignment

[mburshtain]

My OEM rock screen had a few broken arms and I was hoping to easily replace it.
Unfortunately, the new screen I bought does not aligned at all. You can clearly see it in the image attached.
Did anyone have any advice? I’m considering trying to repair my original one as it fits perfectly to the existing brackets.
Can it be repaired?

[mburshtain]

One more picture showing the misalignment with my OEM screen.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DMC-81]

I believe that the bolts are welded on to to tabs. To fix the broken (M6?) bolts, I think you would need to carefully grind them off to end up with a clean flat, and bare metal tab surface, and then have a good welder use a product like these:

Flanged Capacitor Discharge (CD) Weld Studs: https://www.jhpfasteners.com/flanged...6910-l-en.html

Here's a video of the process:



I looked at my car, and I can't see if the existing bolts are welded to the flat tab on the bottom surface, or inserted through a hole are welded from the top side. Either way, you'll want to get the right product.

[Mark D]

Where did you buy your replacement rock screen? It sounds like the vendor did not make it to the correct specs so I'd try working with them to get a replacement.

If you decide to end up fixing your old screen, one other method to fix a broken stud is to use a bolt instead.

-First cut off the remains of the stud as close as possible to the flat tab
-Grind the surface flush and then mark the center with a punch drill it out to make a hole.
-Then you can install a bolt and just put a small tack weld to hold it in place.

You'll be able to see the bolt head sticking up when the screen is installed but once you paint it black it won't be very noticeable. Another alternative would be to use a flat head screw instead of a hex bolt since it has a lower profile head. If you size the hole just right in the tab and grind it smooth after welding it in place it will almost disappear once it's painted.

[Nicholas R]

The new one appears to be slotted. Are you sure it wont fit? It doesn't look like it's too far of; after all it's going into a rubberized plastic bumper. I know when I've taken mine out, it's tight and takes some work to get in place, but eventually fits fine. Everything is very compliant and flexible.

I'd just use a couple pairs of pliers to gently bend things how they need to be. After 30+ years, it's likely that warping of the fascias over the years has made every car a little different.

Who is the rock screen from?

[mburshtain]

Thanks guys.
Yes, I have checked it several times and the OEM one fits perfectly and I'm absolutely sure the new reproduction part will never fit unless I drill new holes in it. The problem is that even the screws are badly misaligned, so even if I manage to fit the top part, the button screws will not fit.
The vendor is saying this is because the originals were hand-made, and the metal brackets that these attach to were riveted on at the factory with the rock screen – i.e. every car is different.

[mluder]

The vendor is saying this is because the originals were hand-made, and the metal brackets that these attach to were riveted on at the factory with the rock screen – i.e. every car is different.

This is completely plausible... So many of the components on this car were "pound to fit" and "stretch to fill."
It's a hand built car... That's half the fun. LOL

Cheers
Steve