Bernard Thorogood, counsel for the Health and Safety Executive, read this extract from the workshop manual that guided the armourers: “Pass the bolt through the drogue and scissor shackles and secure with a lock nut.”
Many types are 100% replacement items. The visible thread guidance would only be valid in conjunction with it being replaced with a new one. Lost count of the times stores didn't have one and pressure was applied to re-use.
-re torque, on one notorious occasion Boeing didn't specify torque loadings to their own people, never mind the RAF. An avionics rack in a new Mk2 had been over-torqued so badly the honeycomb bulkhead was crushed to nothing, and fully laden with LRUs it toppled onto a UK contractor, minutes after touch down from its delivery flight. MoD denies the incident occurred, despite he and witnesses who reported it retaining their reports.
I also recall MoD denying a critical component was manufactured wrongly, causing multiple deaths. (ZA721, 27/2/87) The AAIB invited anyone interested to speculate where the split pin would be inserted, given no hole had been drilled. MoD ignored the evidence and said cause not determined.
Point being, MoD have form when it comes to protecting certain protected species, both companies and individuals. I hope the Coroner spends his 3 weeks digging deeply, but allowing MoD to withhold SI reports, thus denying informed questions, is not a good sign.