Body Plugs -

[stamm321]

Is there a trick to putting these back in? I try to snap them in, no dice. Use a screwdriver and they start getting damaged.. .there must be a trick I am missing?


2475

[markz]

Most of them can be pushed in with a blunt object (such as the handle side of a screwdriver) when you push in the middle of the plug. Many times you can just use your thumb to push in the middle and it will go in, but sometimes you need something more substantial.

[ws27]

X2, when you push from the middle the outside diameter will get slightly smaller as it stretches into a cone like shape. Once you get the hang of it you'll see it's no big deal.

[Racer Brown]

I always ran a little Armorall around the lip and pushed them in.

[67r/t4speeder]

I always ran a little Armorall around the lip and pushed them in.

so that's what Armorall is good for

[4264door]

I have used a socket of appropriate size that fits into the inside of the plug but also allows enough wiggle room for the lip of the plug to snap into the floor hole. Insert a 6 inch extension into the socket and give it a couple gentle strikes with a rubber mallet and presto. Cold garages also cool off those plugs and make them less malleable. Try keeping them in a warm environment, this may sound funny but it helps with installation. The smaller plugs are even tougher than the large ones.

[stamm321]

ok. I am going to try each of these tips this weekend and let you guys know the results. I didn't think these would be such a pain in the ass. Next time I strip down a car, maybe I wont take every one out! lol

[4264door]

Many times that is advisable to do. If your car had factory or aftermarket undercoating then those body plugs are really stuck in there. If you try to take them out you run the risk of taking some of the paint off of the underside floor board and exposing bare steel (because that undercoating is so dried on) which can rust.

[stamm321]

Many times that is advisable to do. If your car had factory or aftermarket undercoating then those body plugs are really stuck in there. If you try to take them out you run the risk of taking some of the paint off of the underside floor board and exposing bare steel (because that undercoating is so dried on) which can rust.

I am beyond that stage - I think the only undercoating I saw was 40 years of road dirt
They are all taken out already. The issue I am having is putting them back in. The more I look at it, the more I am thinking that the 8 layers of lizard skin may have slightly changed the diameter of the holes... I may have to shave some of the edges.

[FRATZOG]

so that's what Armorall is good for