Re: [alfa] working with aluminum

[Michael Findlay <michael@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Tim

Everyone strips threads at some point but there are a few things I try 
and do to lower the incidence. It is not always that you are over 
tightening things but quite often the condition of the threads. Make 
sure that the threads are completely clean. Wash everything down in 
engine cleaner first, including all the fixings. Don't leave them 
sitting in a box on the garage floor to collect dirt or have them 
sitting around dry and collecting rust. Have a set of metric taps and 
dies around to clean up threads. If necessary, run a die over the bolts 
and studs and assemble everything with a very light coat of oil. If you 
are working with a 'blind' hole, make sure there is nothing down the 
bottom of said hole that will impede the stud or bolt. Have a good 
supply of compressed air to blow out grit or fluids. Buy a good quality 
click type torque wrench and forget about the beam type. They are often 
woefully inaccurate at the extreme ends of the scale where you want 
them to be telling you the truth. I have two click type wrenches and 
the one I use most goes to 24 foot pounds. Nothing has ever stripped 
while I have used it but I have stripped threads simply by swinging too 
hard on a 10mm ring spanner. If you are ever in doubt about the state 
of a stud or bolt, replace it. Your local machine shop will run up 
studs for you at little cost and it is great insurance. You will never 
get them out with the engine reassembled. Replace nuts, washers and 
lock washers as a matter of course. Hope this is helpful to you.

Cheers

Michael Findlay
Alfa Romeo 1750 GTV
Fiat Marea 2.0 Weekend

On 05/11/2004, at 6:24 AM, Timothy Spruill wrote:


> Alfisti,
>
> I have been doing almost all my own work on Giuliana,
> my Milano, for about a year now.  I have found lots of
> bolt/ screw holes stripped in the block and other
> places on the car.  It seems like no matter what I am
> working on, someone else has gotten there first and
> screwed it up.  At first I blamed the previous owners
> from the past 17 years.  Then I started to think that
> maybe I had a bad torque wrench and that was the
> problem.  Now I am beginning to think that I am the
> cause of all my woes.  Is it possible that there are
> so many bad 'Merican mechanics out there that they
> could do this to an entire car, or am I a little to
> eager and ham fisted.  What is the secret to working
> in this soft beautiful metal?
>
> Learning about helicoils,
> Tim Spruill
> Baton Rouge, LA
> '71 Spider
> '87 Milano
> '03 Mazda P5
>
>
>
> 		
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