so i finally got the new seals for the tail lights and found new bolts and washers. the problem was the acorn nuts in the housings were rusted, and a few were even missing. so here is my repair.
new 3/16" stainless screws, fender-washers (3/4" OD) and ny-lock nuts. and a dremel with a cut off wheel
and the other tool. i bought 1 extra nut to do the dirty work
here is the housing after cutting the plastic to get the old acorn nuts out
now for the dirty part. find a 3/16 screw and another nut to lock everything together, clamp it in a pair of vice-grips as shown above, and heat that nut up until it just starts to glow red. if it isnt hot enough, you will make a mess. now press that hot nut into the plastic. this is why you want it hot. it should take just a second for it to melt, and when you pull the nut out the top of the hole will kind of fold in. this is what will hold the new nuts in place.
after molding the new hole
after melting all the holes, i used a 17/64 drill bit to clean out the hole where the screw goes through the housing.
now, the hardest part. hold your new nut in place, and squeeze it down into the hole. i used channel lock pliers. once the nut is bottomed out, it kind of snaps in place.
all the new nuts in place. nice tight fit.
i used this glue to hold the lenses to the housings
and the tail lights in the car.