stripped fuel inlet, holley 1945

Late-late to the party here, but wanted to park this info here where it might be needed one day. A Heli-Coil isn't a good pick here, because fuel can wick out from inside the float bowl through the gaps in the helix. You want a solid thread insert. The carb body thread where the fuel inlet screws in on the Holley 1945 (also the Holley 1920) is ½"-20. Buy this thread insert.

Take pics and notes on the thread depth and the location of the inner end of the brass fuel inlet fitting inside the float bowl.

Drill out the munged carb threads with a 21/32" drill bit, and tap ¾"-10.

Install the thread insert; it's slotted for a wide screwdriver (or you could probably use a coin) and has threadlocker already on the external threads so it'll stay put.

Grind/sand the outside surface of the thread insert flush with the carb body so the threads begin where they used to, and the inlet fitting's washer will have a flat surface to seal on. Chamfer the hole if you want to do a complete, nice job of it.

Install the new inlet fitting and verify the position of its inner end (needn't be exact; the float height is adjustable).