An additional vote for nutserts. If there’s one near you, Harbor Freight sells the tool and the inserts.
Try a generous application of PTFE tape.
This is the GoTo fix for stripped screws in wood. However I’ve personally NEVER found this to work effectively. Most toothpicks, IME are just too soft. One solution I’ve had good luck with is to drill out a bigger hole and insert dowel covered in glue.
Regarding a drill powerful enough; I doubt that’s true. If you have a good bit; you should be able to drill through what you describe.
I also vote for nutserts if possible.
This fix works best for a blind hole in steel sheet metal where you do not have access to both sides of the sheet metal. An example is the steel facing of an insulated garage door where a sheet metal screw will not tighten into the door correctly. Start by selecting a twist-on electrical wire nut with a metal coil insert that accepts about 1/3 the length of the sheet metal screw. Remove the coil insert from the wire nut by cutting or grinding away the insulating plastic cap. This was the longest part of the procedure as the plastic is quite tough. Expand the bare coil insert by pulling and twisting on the ends of the insert using two needle nose pliers until the larger top end of the coil insert can fit over the largest diameter thread of the sheet metal screw. Pliers longer than 5” usually won’t work as the tips are too big to fit into the small end of the coil. Once the coil is fit over the largest thread, screw the coil onto the sheet metal screw using the pliers to twist from one end. The assembleb screw with coil can then be driven into the sheet metal.
Tideview: Welcome to Straight Dope!
Note the thread you responded to is from 7 years ago and the OP (original poster) has probably fixed the problem by now.
Still, its a pretty clever solution to a specific kind of annoying stripped thread. A sort of poor man’s Helicoil for a sheet metal hole.
Thanks, Tideview!
(For the record, my go-to solution for stripped wood threads is to fill the hole with glue and pound in a hardwood golf tee. Once cured, clipped, and trimmed flush with a sharp chisel, there is now a new surface to re-drill).
A piece or two of mechanics wire will work.
This is what I was going to suggest. Harbor Freight should have a set.
Just what is Teflon Tape going to do???
Jack Nuts will work if the metal surface is enough to allow for the extra large hole needed.
Here is a Youtube video
Most fleet stores will have these and the simple tool.
As someone said earlier, a pop rivet is the way to go.