OPINIONS, PART 1:

[VileZambonie]

Cogged, you forgot about the tapping out the drilled hole part. After you drill it you tap it to an oversize to accept the heli-coil, then you thread the insert in.

[CoggedBelt75]

Oops, guess I got ahead of myself . Yeah, you're right about that. I hate typing because I hardly proof read to make sure what I'm thinking and putting into words are on the same page.

[Stewart G Griffin]

Well, to confuse the issue further (i do this ALL THE TIME), i got the starter off 2 wks ago (then some other bs cropped up so i couldn't work on the truck, but now i can) and here is the affected hole alone with the unused "parallel" hole for starters that use the parallel bolt mounting pattern:



To further complicate matters (that's me!), As you can see, there are still threads in the hole that i'm having trouble with, so that's why i'm thinking the chaser idea might work.  See, i'm concerned about the helicoil in that you will notice that the starter bolt holes threads don't actually start at the edge flush with the part of the block where the starter mounts to;  They actually start about 1/4 inch into the hole and i think that is for the knurled part of the starter bolts to rest in to align the starter.  With helicoil and re-tap, i'm afraid we will probably lose this tapered area.

a) So does anyone know of any retail, brick and mortar type store that sell thread chasers?  i know the mail order places do, but in this case it's sort of about expediency.  i was going to call harbour freight, but, and i'm not putting down in any way employees of harbor freight stores, but i'm afraid they won't know what i'm talking about which is understandable because i didn't know what a thread chaser was until 2 days ago when i did more research on this topic.

2) To even further complicate matters, i discovered that with the parallel bolt hole, the starter bolt will not fit.

P.S. i know about all the grease and i'm not proud of it and i apologize, but i guess in my haste to install the engine, i guess i didn't "see" it.   Besides, the engine runs great.

[VileZambonie]

A heli-coil will work just fine. You can put the heli-coil in as deep as you want.

[CoggedBelt75]

Kind'a looks like there is no hope with the stripped hole. Afraid chasing it won't fix the problem. Guess that leaves you with 2 options.... around 10 bucks or so to heli-coil it, or drop around $150.00 for a hitachi or tilton starter. I have used a heli-coil in the exact same hole as yours for several years without any problems. They are actually as strong or stronger than the original threads. It's always alittle scary sometimes doing something your not sure how to do. I hesitate at times myself. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 the easiest. I would rate the job a 2, only because I hate lying on my back with my arms in the air .  Seems like your almost there now since apparently it's already jacked up since you have the starter off. 10 more minutes with the drill and tap, and you are done. You can do it!!

[SUX2BU99]

And at least if you screw up the $10 heli-coil installation, you can then drop the $150 on the other starter and you know it has a good hole to work with.

[Stewart G Griffin]

Yeah, i think jeg's has one of those types of starters, their brand, going for $139.  i don't know who manufactures it.

i think i'm going to try the helicoil as soon as i finish holiday shopping----if anyone thinks there's a ressession they need to go to the mall---if they can find any parking.

[Stewart G Griffin]

This is turning out to be more complicated than it orginally appeared (why does this ALWAYS happen?).

Where do you suggest getting a 25/64 drill bit?  Lowe's had them, but it was in a kit costing $64.  They didn't have them seperately.  Home depot no luck.

[Irish_Alley]

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=219826-67702-728068G
allot of times they just don't put it on the self cause it doesn't sell that much and if its taking up shelf space its waisting money in other words look on line you can find more than in the stores and you save gas money you just have to wait.  but that site might not help you go here also
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/search_10153_12605?keyword=25%2F64&vName=

[Stewart G Griffin]

Thanks for the link---it's saying there is one in stock at the local sears, which is the one store i didn't check.

Believe me, i'm into the whole gas saving thing---i was already out running errands and decided to pop in the hardware stores.  But i see what you are saying.

[choptop]

I personally dont like shopping in stores if I can get away from it, plus dont have the time normally. Lately, online shopping has been my friend.

[fitz]

  I had a parts truck years and the engine was cracked in that spot. The P.O. installed an Autozone rebuilt 350 and never installed the started bracket. After awhile the starter came loose and cracked the block.
  I pulled the motor and put it in the back of my truck and took it down to a welding shop. He charged me $75 to weld a stud in there. I ran that motor in my 79 Jimmy for a few years after that.

[bobcooter]

Stewart, my motto has always been "don't let not knowing how to do something stop you from doing it." Sounds kinda corny but that's how we learn. Good luck Bud.

[Stewart G Griffin]

OK, chaser didn't work----apparently threads were too far gone.


So, i just bit the bullet and went for it----i helicoiled it and so far everything seems ok----the bolt now holds 25+lbs., where at last test the bolt would only screw in like 2 times and then pop out.

Not the best picture:


The only problem i ran into was, as you can see, this particular affect hole is close to the oilpan which meant i really couldn't use the "T" handle for the tap in the conventional way;  i had to reposition it often and most of the time i could only use one bar of the handle.  This concerned me, but apparently as the tap goes in, it pretty much goes in straight.

Closing concerns:
1) What would cause threads, especially starter bolt hole threads to strip?

2) (may tie in with #1)  What torque settings for starter bolts on a SBC do you recommend?  One of my books says 35lbs.

[CoggedBelt75]

Glad to see you attacked your problem and won. That wasn't as hard as you thought was it . As for the stripping, the cause in most cases is cross threading or over-tightening. 30-35 lbs. is about right for the torque. Too much more and you risk cracking or breaking the nose of the starter. For future reference, if you ever come across the need to use a tap again and are having issues with using the tap handle because of lack of space, get a nut that is almost big enough to fit on the end of the tap and drive it on. Be gentle tho as they are some what brittle and can't take much hitting. I usually put mine in the vise with the point cushioned and press it in. That way a socket and extention can be used in those hard to get to spots.