Repair Advice for Stripped Engine Bay Bolt
 

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I stripped the top of an engine bay bolt installing a strut bar. At this point I have three options. 1st: weld bolt overhang from replacement fender apron to replace both bolts power brace attach to. 2nd: get a tap and die kit as well as some jb weld and rethread the bolt. 3rd: replace whole fender apron myself (gotta see how doable/easy this is). I asked about spot welding a bolt on but the guy at the collision center I talked to said spot welding on new bolt would be tricky, he recommended use tap and die. Any advice?

seems like a poor choice to go to that shorter bolt of the body stiffener.. most strut bars mount across the actual struts, which typically have much longer studs and allow for accessory mounting.

my method, i would strip off all the stuff that mounts to the stud, run a proper-sized die down the threads, all the way to the bottom, and backwards. from there, i'd soak the die in welding anti-spatter, and then build up the damaged stud threads with a welder, dremel the welds down to create a round stud blank, repeat the first and second step at least 4-5 times, and then work the tap up with some cutting oil to re-tap the threads..

time consuming though. it'd likely be 2/3's-to all of a saturday for me...

Your options are either what @soundman98 suggested or grind/drill out old stud and weld a new one back onto the tower. I'd go with a new stud if I can find a proper replacement.

Not sure how you managed that.. Try and repair the threads or replace

Throwing out a crazy idea for the sake of being different... cut off old bolt, drill it out, rivnut, bolt in the other direction. Maybe.

though considering that he's attempting to structurally reinforce the front end with a strut bar, i don't particularly like the idea of a vibrating side-load on a rivnut.

i'll use rivnuts all day on loads that will put an outwards force on them, but i've used a few in perpendicular loading situations, like on pickup truck tailgates for soft-open struts, and they tend to work loose pretty in a matter of months of minimal use.

100%. Tailgate damper on my GMC worked itself loose at the rivnut soon after installation. They suck for that application.

If there is room below the stud (it appears that part has room underneath), remove the damaged stud and install a new rivet stud.

The rivet stud is cheap, the tool to install it is hundreds. Probably best to find a shop that has one. I would call a few restoration and/or fabrication shops. Someone will have the required tools.

You could also grind the bolt partially smooth and die it down to the next size, that might be standard...
Making it smaller/weaker is probably not the preferred setup though.

I will look into this! For now I bought a new nut and washer, gets enough thread to hold on tight