V8Rumble

iTrader: (9)

Hey guys,

It appears that I may have one of the six bolt holes in the rear of the crankshaft stripped out. I need to know what my options are.

I've had a couple people recommend repairing it with a 'time-sert' - which is (potentially) a great idea, but the machine shop that I trust doesn't have the tools to do that, and doesn't know anyone in the entire metro area who does. And I'm NOT especially excited at the prospect of shipping a crankshaft, since I've heard that they can be damaged if dropped.

So I took a different tack, & asked how much they'd charge for labor if I brought the engine in & had 'em replace the crank. He guessed six or seven hours of labor at $80/hr. That's really not realistic for me, especially since I'd have to budget for the replacement crankshaft as well.

Speaking of which, does anyone know the ballpark price for a standard replacement crankshaft?? RockAuto doesn't list one for this engine...

Also - are there any stroker cranks that would work with the stock rods/pistons/etc?? (I wouldn't want anything more than a 4" stroke...) How badly would THAT "ding" my budget??

I appreciate any & all constructive feedback. I guess I'm just looking for ANY (reasonable) way out of this latest mess... Thanks guys.

PowerAdder

Any GM dealership should have a Time Sert set. Our dealership was a pontiac dealership and that set was sent to us before my time. There is one in your city its not such and odd ball tool. Another option is a Helicoil, and thous are more abundant. As long as you can get some solid tourqe on any repair you do, you should be fine. Also drilling the hole out and tapping for a larger bolt would be a solid repair also. But I would try that last.

cam

iTrader: (9)

Comes as a whole kit. I vote you buy this and give it a go. At this point what have you got to lose? The only thing you can bugger up is not drilling straight which should be pretty easy with the hole there to guide you. If you bugger this up then consider removing the engine and/or the part out.

Its a set back yes but its not that bad. Heres a kit ( not sure if this is the right size but it has pics so you can see it comes with all you need to do it )

PowerAdder

I would practice using the tool on something first thou. It doesn't take much to mess it up. The tool has a guide on it as you can see, the risk here is not drilling the shoulder of the timesert to the correct depth. If you mess that up the timesert will back out.

cam

iTrader: (9)

Excellent point ^ Plus the kit comes with a few inserts so why dont you see if you can grab a thrashed crank from someone or a yard to practice on? That should make this cake for ya

PowerAdder

you could even practice on a nut that has the same ID. Put it in a vise or even stack 2. Ive seen many of these fail when installed in oil pan threads.

V8Rumble

iTrader: (9)

Got some GOOD news today, don't want to type it all out right now (need a bit of sleep), but looks like I have a good solution at hand... Hope to be able to explain tomorrow.