The Project Pad

So, I need to repair a stripped thread in the aluminum block of my ABH V8. From what I've read, time-sert is the preferred method of repair but it's recommended that you have a drilling jig setup to make sure it's perfectly centered and straight with the bore of the stripped hole. Of course they don't make a head-bolt repair kit for Audi V8's, and if they did it would be $400+ instead of the <$100 for the inserts/drill/tap.

So, do I...

Option 1: Buy the $100 kit and hope I drill straight.

Option2 : Design and have a deck plate jig made. If I did this this I could then easily do all the bolts with time-serts..which I'm not sure I'd do. I'd possibly want to do it on the 40V block, but for the ABH block I just mainly want to get it fixed and running. And I could just do studs on the 40V (but studs + time-serts would be even more robust). Studs on either engine would definitely require removal of the engine to ever pull the heads in the B4 chassis though (or at least removal of the master cylinder).
Lots of BMW I6 guys time-sert all of there threads, and of course there's a kit for them...

Anybody think any other V8 guys might be interested in this if there was a jig either for purchase or as a loaner tool?

Option 1: It's cheap and a very effective method.

Just be sure to post your results to the mainstream internet so everyone knows which was the correct option to take

Problem solved

http://www.harborfreight.com/angle-dril ... 95622.html

Thanks Jim, with some mods I bet I could make that nice and sturdy enough to do the job. Will have to see if they've got that at my local store.

is that jig plastic or metal?

if it's metal, it looks like it could work for notching tube on a budget as well...

Toph wrote:if it's metal, it looks like it could work for notching tube on a budget as well...

no

Ya, those posts would just twist against the torque of a hole saw. It looks plastic anyway. Back to time-serts...