stripped fuel inlet, holley 1945

[michiganpat]

somehow 2 of the 3 screws holding the main carb body to the throttle plate backed out on my slant 6. since it's been 34 years since my grandpa and I went through the carburetor, I figured I'd throw a kit in it. not exactly sure how I did it, as I thought I was being careful not to overtighten the new needle and seat, but I stripped out the thread in the carb body for the needle/seat that also is the fuel inlet. from numerous sources on the web, it looks like it is a 1/2-20 thread. is this something I can repair with a helicoil, or am I stuck trying to find another carb or buying a reman one?

 

[RustyRatRod]

I would think it depends on how deep the threads are. If there's enough there for a Heli Coil to thread into, then yes, I'd think it could be repaired.

 

[michiganpat]

I'll have to look at it tomorrow, but I think it's somewhere in the neighborhood of 3/8"......

 

[slantsixdan]

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).

 

[CRUZE 418]

Also, the carb body should be clamped down on a drill press table or end mill. Keep your procedures square.