Last fall, the rear delta wing fell off my 1989 GT-5. It separated from the support struts and, upon inspection, it appeared that it had only been connected to them using rivets (which had failed). Is it normal that the wing would be connected in this way? I would think a screw anchor or through-bolt of some kind would be much safer and more durable.
The local body shop I took it to claimed there was not enough metal in the aluminum core of the strut to put a bolt through, and so they took it upon themselves to simply rivet the wing back on. I’m now worried that I risk having it come off again. Any thoughts or suggestions?
Also, I was surprised that there was no gasket between the strut and the decklid. I am thinking of cutting one out of Teflon, Nylon, Nitrile or some other hard rubber to dampen the vibrations transmitted to the wing. Has anyone else done this? Does doing so make any sense? If so, what material would be best?
Original Post