Heat Shield Bolts...help!

[MazdaSpeeder]

I have only owned this PR5 for 6 days and already I have screwed something up! I was trying to remove the heat shield and now the first bolt I tried just spins like it's stripped. It feels like it encounters some resistance at certain points in the rotation, but now the shield vibrates freely...not what I was going for. Plus, I wanted to install a short shift kit and for that I will need to space the shield, but I can't do that with this bolt like this.

Does anyone know if there is a nut on the other side of the floorpan (maybe I tore it from its welds)? How can I possibly solve this problem? I am assuming I will have to pull up the carpet at some point...any thoughts/has anyone else had this problem?

 

[knubile]

Mine did the same thing.
I bent it to allow the short shifter spacing and put in a new screw just next to the original one and drilled out the old one.
Good luck.

 

[aMaff]

oy, that sucks. I don't think there's a bolt. You may have to cut it and drill it out, then re-tap the hole and get a new bolt.

 

[MazdaSpeeder]

Mine did the same thing.
I bent it to allow the short shifter spacing and put in a new screw just next to the original one and drilled out the old one.
Good luck.

How did you get the new screw to stay in? Did you just drive a screw throught the floorpan or bolt it or what?

 

[knubile]

hmm. I don't remember. I didn't do it myself. I watched my mechanic do it. No bolt.. that's for sure. He put it in in 2 seconds.
Perhaps it was a rivet.. Sorry.. bad memory.

A rivet would be just fine for sure.