[Elecraft] Handle replacement on K3

[Jon Zaimes AA1K]

  Took my K3 along on vacation and this morning when I went to set it up 
again at home the handle was loose on one end -- one of the nuts had 
fallen off the bolt inside the case. So now the nut and washer are 
floating around inside the case.

Anyone know if I can just take the side panel off to fix this or do I 
need to take the top off first?

And if this loosening up is common (In the past year since building this 
I've only used the handle maybe twice) is there a permanent fix, such as 
a locking nut?

73/Jon AA1K
K3 no. 3021