At 07:51 PM 9/3/2001 -0500, you wrote:
>Hey, all:
>
>I've got a problem that I hope does not become the demise of the Edelbrock F4B
>intake on my Tiger. I currently have it removed from the car for some other
>work. While I had it off, I bead blasted it and washed it down to make it
>look a little nicer. I also wanted to replace the temp sender while I was at
>it. The problem is that, when I attempted to tighten the new sender unit, the
>threads stripped in the intake with just the slightest amount of pressure
>being applied. The previous owner had installed a brass fitting with a longer
>threaded neck into the intake and, of course, now I know why. Further down
>into that hole on the intake, out of the reach of the temp sender, the threads
>are okay.
>
>I have two questions. First, is it possible to successfully helicoil the temp
>sender hole in the intake, knowing that it will be under constant temp and
>pressure loads while the engine is running? Secondly, if I must end up using
>that extra brass fitting, will the temp sender give an honest reading while
>inside the other brass fitting that I described earlier? As a side note, when
>the temp sender is screwed down all the way into that brass fitting, the
>bottom of the sender is flush with the bottom of the fitting. I would think
>both would be submerged in water, though. I have been running it like that
>for many years, oblivious to the fact that the previous owner had it set up
>like that.
>
>Thanks for any input that you guys may pass to me. I'm hoping to get the car
>put together in a couple of days and this could potentially slow me down for
>who knows how long.
>
>Thanks,
>Andy Walker
>B382001600
>
Andy,
If the temperature sender is original then it has a British Pipe
thread. This is slightly smaller than the US Pipe thread. The Brass fitting
may have been US pipe thread because you stated, "As a side note, when
>the temp sender is screwed down all the way into that brass fitting, the
>bottom of the sender is flush with the bottom of the fitting." The smaller
British Pipe thread will do that in a US Pipe thread hole. Sometimes if the
US Pipe threaded hole was not tapped too deep, then the British Sensor
will be held in sort of OK. Otherwise, it strips the US thread and comes out.
The Edelbrock F4B comes with US Pipe thread.
If you can find a British Pipe thread Helicoil then go for it. I
would not use a standard US pipe thread Helicoil without changing the
sender to a US Pipe thread unit.
I personally hace never seen a Helicoil for Pipe thread, US or British.
But, that does not mean that they do not exist.
Just a thought. British Pipe Taps are available from good hardware
stores. Try fabricating a brass or aluminum sleeve with next size larger US
Pipe threads
on the outside and the proper British thread on the inside. Tap the
manifold for the
larger US size and locktite the sleeve in.
James Barrett Tiger II 351C and others
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