Tapping the Carb

[Wheelman-111]

Greetings:

The second PO-installed Heli-Coil dropped out of my carb during disassembly last night. No problem, I was ready!

Harbor Freight Tools has a cheap - in every sense of that word Chinese Tap&Die set for $8.99. Just good 'nuff to thread Al-You-Mini-Yum, not so much for Space Shuttles.

I decided to go with 1/4" x 20 TPI for ease of replacement. I had a 2" and a 1-1/2" hex bolt on hand. They were a little too fat to fit through the manifold and brown heat insulating spacer, but not by much. A quick pass with a 1/4" drill and all was good.

The 1/4" tap sliced threads into the carb flange like a hot knife through butter. even the flimsy tap holder held up OK. The bolts could each be 1/4" shorter, or 1-3/4 and 1-1/4 to be perfect, but they don't stick out so far as to dent the carb bowl. Good enough.