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My buddy just called me a bit ago asking what he should do. He was turning his 350 over by hand and he stripped the thread out of the crank where the bolt is. Is he screwed or what can he do to fix it short of dropping the crank out? Could he he rethread it? Just glad its not my engine!
The threads go back in farther than the stock bolt does. Find a longer bolt that'll catch the remaining threads, and don't turn the engine over like that! Those crankshaft sockets are sold for a good reason!
if a longer bolt doesnt work, just Heli Coil it. you just drill it out, re-tap it to the Heli-Coil size and then turn in your new threads they provide. whalla, stronger than new. lots of aluminum threads have this done from the factory for stronger threads. Any auto store should have them on hand.
Might be hard to find a Helicoil kit that size and thread, but that would be the best fix.
Install a stud of the same thread size so that you are grabbing all the threads in the crank and use a washer and nut to hold the damper on.
thanks guys, we put a longer bolt in and it seems fine. He might go with the stud and nut idea......thanks a bunch.
I did this once. NP I took my Harmonic ballance tool kit and found the next size up from the bolt that was in the crank. I got a tap for that size and taped the crank. I had to go to a speciality bolt place where they make bolts to find the hardened one I needed. It was so cheap they just gave it to me. I also got a thick washer that was hardened. Never had a problem with it after that.