A-body armrest - stripped threads in door’s sheet metal

Ken71Twister said

Need suggestions vs enlarged holes in door panel sheet metal which won’t hold the arm rest. I ordered the clips in the picture but, with panel removed, I don’t see any way to keep clips in place on the back side of the metal. Back side of door’s sheet metal is very difficult to reach.

Would it be feasible to tac weld a thin piece of metal (maybe a flattened base clip retainer)?

A complicating factor is that the screws come thru the armrest with an upward angle (see 3rd photo.

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Straight foward fix if you are good with a Mig welder or have a friend who is.

1, Cut a slot with a mini grinder or even a Dremel tool just above the hole.

2. Put a large blade screwdriver in the slot you made with the grinder and spread the gap of the slot until the hole starts to close up to the size you need,

3. Weld up the slot you made and refinish or just use some touch up paint on it. Its hidden so doesn't really matter as long as the bare metal is covered.

Cheers!!