brass drain plug in older Ford 351

[andjules]

Last year after I winterized my brother's aging 79 Mastercraft, I couldn't get one of the brass drain plugs back in - something was stripped and it felt more like it was the block more than the plug.

 

Short of re-tapping the block drain w/ a slightly larger size, does anyone have any tips or quick-and-dirty solutions? The boat is at a point where it's not worth putting much into it, but it'd be nice to keep it alive a few more years or until faced with a major repair.

 

Thanks in advance

[mwetskier]

get it thoroughly dry. apply *lots* of mold release to the brass plug. apply just enough well mixed jb-weld to the block threads. gently thread plug into block. wait over night. remove plug and carefully clean away any hard jb-weld that may be blocking the center of the hole. keep that plug well lubed every time you remove and replace it. check occasionally for leaks.

[thager]

Usually the block threads get rusty and fill up. Get the correct size tap to clean the rust out of the threads. If anything is stripped my bet is the brass plug which is made of a softer metal. Replace the plug. Happened to me with my old 1972 Hydrodyne 302 Ford.

[skihacker]

if i'm not mistaken that should be a pipe thread which is tapered, 1/4-18. taps are available from most home stores, an old school radiator petcock can be installed which makes future draining a lot easier.

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