Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
I had one of the power door mirrors (Passenger side) that wouldn't stay put in the mounting bracket so that freeway speed air loads or a good slam of the door would knock it out of the power adjustment range. I was able to tighten the lower bolt get it to hold still pretty well but the upper bolt had pulled the threads in the casting preventing a secure forward/aft adjustment.
There are two ways to repair the pulled threads. First (optimum) would be to install a Heli-coil thread repair in 1/4-28 and if you lack a plain old 1/4-28 (NF) tap and #3 drill bit and are going to have to buy a tap anyway the Heli-Coil kit will have it. Then replace the strange factory bolts with 1/4-28 x 3/4 socket head (allen head) capscrews on account of the small area available.
I don't have a heli-coil kit and they aren't available at the nearest hardware store but I do have a tap and die set and numbered drill index. The factory bolts are slightly less than 1/4" but have some kind of maybe self-tapping machine thread that is very, very close to 28 threads per inch. So close in fact that while the #3 tap drill barely removed any metal, the 1/4-28 tap cut just deep enough to get into fresh metal and the 3/4" length of the replacement cap screws I chose got into undamaged material.
I also had to run a 1/4" drill through the clamp that secured the mirror post to the casting that bolts to the door to allow the new bolts through.
So far the threads are holding and the mirror is staying put like it should which will be a vast improvement-especially when the slip-on extension mirrors for towing are installed!
If the threads are completely pulled there would have be no choice but to use a Heli-Coil or step up to a 5/16-24 replacement which was my first plan but I couldn't find a letter F drill bit-even though the hardware store has taps in that size.
Hope that helps someone else...
There are two ways to repair the pulled threads. First (optimum) would be to install a Heli-coil thread repair in 1/4-28 and if you lack a plain old 1/4-28 (NF) tap and #3 drill bit and are going to have to buy a tap anyway the Heli-Coil kit will have it. Then replace the strange factory bolts with 1/4-28 x 3/4 socket head (allen head) capscrews on account of the small area available.
I don't have a heli-coil kit and they aren't available at the nearest hardware store but I do have a tap and die set and numbered drill index. The factory bolts are slightly less than 1/4" but have some kind of maybe self-tapping machine thread that is very, very close to 28 threads per inch. So close in fact that while the #3 tap drill barely removed any metal, the 1/4-28 tap cut just deep enough to get into fresh metal and the 3/4" length of the replacement cap screws I chose got into undamaged material.
I also had to run a 1/4" drill through the clamp that secured the mirror post to the casting that bolts to the door to allow the new bolts through.
So far the threads are holding and the mirror is staying put like it should which will be a vast improvement-especially when the slip-on extension mirrors for towing are installed!
If the threads are completely pulled there would have be no choice but to use a Heli-Coil or step up to a 5/16-24 replacement which was my first plan but I couldn't find a letter F drill bit-even though the hardware store has taps in that size.
Hope that helps someone else...
