At 12:00 AM 10/25/00 -0400, you wrote:
>I just successfully stripped out a threaded hole in a head that holds the
>exhaust header on my vanagon.

Looks like you already got some good suggestions to repair the stripped
threads. So let me suggest a trick I learned which makes working with these
headers easier and, for me anyway, eliminated stripping out the bolt holes
to begin with.

I found that I had stripped thread out because of the difficulty getting
the bolt holes in the header aligned perfectly with the hole in the head. I
know you have a stud in this one, but there is still a lot of side stress
if your header is slightly warped and misaligned by a hair.

The trick is to remove the header at the "y" where it joins the one from
the other side. Then with that end free it is a lot easier to install the
other end on the head without stress. After it is securely fastened,
preferably with a torque wrench, reinstall the end on the "y". It is a lot
easier to align these holes since none are threaded and the area is easier
to work in. Place a screwdriver shaft through one set of holes and use it
to align the other holes until you get the bolt through both pieces.

It sounds like a little more work, but it's well worth it!

**********  John Clavin  |  jjc@bga.com  |  Austin, TX  **********