Minor in Devon needs a piggyback ride

[bmcecosse]

It's NOT a difficult repair - I had to do it when aged 17 (so 50+ year ago) with nothing more than an electric drill and a borrowed tap and tap wrench. DO NOT let anyone cut into the bodywork of the car!!

[les]

I would say a helicoil insert would be the best option here but no doubt the person doing the job will have his/her own ideas. Incidentally I also left the lock tabs 'unbent' but was pulled by the Mot tester!

[busmanjohn]

For the benefit of those who have more years of experience in fixing things up, I am entrusting this work to a specialist because a) I don't have the right tools for the job, b) although I'm a good DIY fitter and general maintenance guy, I don't have the right skills for this job and c) it's a critical part of the car and I can't risk a suspension failure as a result of my bodgery, nor the extra cost of a new box section across the bulkhead if I totally ruin the offside mountings.

Yesterday, the car was carefully driven 25 miles to the aforementioned specialist. We drained the damper first so that, although the offside front corner was bouncy and hopeless at lefthand corners, very little stress was put on the 2 secure bolts. At journey's end they were still tight and no further damage was done. So far, so good.

Thanks for your help, folks!