1976 280Z Restoration Project

[wheee!]

RT diff mount in place with lower support for lateral strength. Lots of clearance and the diff nose is exactly the same height as stock too.

[wheee!]

Powder coated the very cool custom bumper mount kit manufactured by our very own@Eurodat!


A nice satin black to hide behind the grill.

[wheee!]

Also snapped a tap in the diff mount hole... grrrr

Have to get a tap remover from work tomorrow.

[EuroDat]

6 hours ago, wheee! said:

Also snapped a tap in the diff mount hole... grrrr

That sucks when it happens. The last tap I broke, split down the vertical length. It was a real pita to get out. I made such a botched job of it, I needed a helicoil to fix it.

And yes "last", Im a veteren tap breaker. Tapping stainless is not easy

You know that is bonus points, breaking a tap off "cleaning" threads.

Btw: The fabrication/welding work on the suspension looks really good. Top job.

 

[wheee!]

I have a plan...

[wheee!]

And success!...

[Patcon]

That's a cool tool. I don't have one of those, yet. I suspect they make different sizes.

[Captain Obvious]

Yup. They come in different sizes for different taps. I've got a bunch of them, but have never had great success with them. Always seems that when I break a tap, it's a size for which I don't have an extractor, or for some other reason, it just won't work. Three flutes. Blades too big for the flutes... Whatever.

The larger sizes work better than the small ones, and it's always easier to get a broken tap out of a hole if you were just chasing existing threads as opposed to cutting complete new ones in a fresh hole. Much of it comes down to the amount of force required to turn the remains and it takes a lot less force to clean paint out of threads than to cut them in the first place.

Bottom line is if you can get an extractor to work, that's awesome as it's the easiest method. But don't walk away from this thread thinking they are the cure-all, end-all solution to all your busted tap ordeals in the future because I think you will be disappointed. There will still be plenty of opportunities for swearing and sweating and throwing things even with a complete set handy. 

[wheee!]

Very true. The kit I used has multiple sizes, but the removal process was not simple. A lot of small movements and careful positioning to ensure the tool did not break as well.
Worth the investment for sure, but don't rush the removal. Take your time and save yourself a lot of headache.
The kit I used minus a tool that was broken prior to me using it. I signed this out from my tool crib at work.

[240dkw]

2 hours ago, wheee! said:

 I signed this out from my tool crib at work.
 

And that is the only thing I miss from work after retiring.

[wheee!]

I am fortunate to be a Maintenance Sgt in the military. I have expert techs to ask advice, plus access to some powerful and specialty tooling. We encourage our guys to work on personal kit after hours to build their skills.

Having said that, I went to Canadian Tire last night looking for a 3/8 socket allen head set for the TTT parts that have capture head bolts... I found a twin SAE and Metric set in sizes up to 14mm on sale for $19, regularly $80! Gotta watch those sales...

[Captain Obvious]

I miss the tool crib, and the raw material access. Oh, and the model shop (small machine shop that we untrained engineers were allowed to use).