Thanx!  I can't take credit for it.  My father was a lifetime machinist and
VW mechanic and it was his idea/recommendation.

I purchased the pipe tap at Home Depot for $5.  Lowes did not carry pipe
taps.  Just be sure it says pipe tap, not plug tap.  You will know easily,
as pipe taps are measured in some other increment, so 3/8 is not 3/8 of an
inch, it is much larger.

As far as metal shavings, they adhere to the tap well.  You can also lather
the tap with grease to catch the shavings.  When completed, we dropped a
half a quart of oil into the engine without the drain plug so drain out any
shavings that had remained in the case.

Z

-----Original Message-----
From: Larry Alofs [mailto:lalofs@ENTERACT.COM]
Sent: Friday, June 22, 2001 9:34 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Oil Drain Plug Leaking

Zoran Mladen wrote:

> Just made a fix for a fellow list member.  His threads were completely
> stripped out.  We used a 3/8 pipe tap to create new threads, and then used
a
> 3/8 pipe plug as the oil drain plug.

Sounds like an excellent solution.
Was there any question of metal shavings getting into the case?
Can a person buy a single pipe tap?  I have dies, but have never needed a
pipe
tap.