[TR] Aluminum Head Plug

[William Brewer]

Hi Terry,
     Give up on that aluminum head plug... I had the exact same
problem. I followed Bob Schaller's (who wrote "More B.S. About Triumphs)
advice and re-tapped the plug for a 3/4" pipe thread (they are almost the same
already) and then installed a bronze pipe plug with Teflon tape. Problem
solved. I might be off on the pipe tap size, but probably not.
     Good luck.
     YMMV,

     Bill in Tehachapi




From: terryrs at comcast.net
To:
triumphs at autox.team.net
Subject: [TR] Aluminum Head Plug
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Hello
 everyone.  It
took some doing, but I managed to tap, drill and pry out 
the leaking aluminum
plug on top of the TR3A head.  

Thought the worst was over.

I
 used a copper
brush in my drill to clean the threads, put the new plug 
in the freezer and
applied some gentle propane heat around the hole.  

I
 tried gasket seal on
the threads but I think it made a tight situation 
worse, creating too much
drag.  Got it maybe a quarter of the way down 
before the soft aluminum
started tearing.  , tested it, and it leaked.  
Now have removed it again. 
So, sensing I would bugger one up, I had ordered two of these little plugs. 
Somebody
 on the List mentioned using Lock-Tite on the threads.  That would
make 
sense, it's a liquid lubricant for the threads until it sets.  But would
it seal well enough to keep water leaking out?  Am wincing rather 
severely at
the thought of a leaking plug installed with Lock Tite!  Is 
there a better
alternative?

Has anybody replaced it with a hex bolt, or are the threads too
weird?

Terry Smith, '59 TR3A
New Hampshire