Difficulty Getting plugs back in after winter

[zegm]

oh I feel so much better now I have had a cup of coffee!!! Hey I am NOT arguing with anyone. Pretty much going to put something on the block in the next week or so just to make things easier but now I think the trip has to wait until I get some bacon!

But I think we ALL agree WE ALL have a GOOD IDEA here! Hummmm.....maybe I can make a kit and sell them! You know I can get some Mil-spec stuff!!!!!

[DOCDRS]

one year I open the supplied valve on my indmar block and very little flowed out the screw valve......so i removed it completely and was amazed how much rust and debris had settled inside the block around that hole.....thats when i replaced those little valves with a larger greater flow ball valve that i could easily stick a wire thru and and clean out around the inside of the block.....my fear was having any water trapped inside and freezing due to the low temps we get up here....lucky i had enough room for a threaded union and a ball valve on my 99ls........,now with my vdrive and knocksensors and less room I just take the whole thing off, drain,antisieze cmpd and reinstall. Once the water is out why not reinstall them at that time , quicker spring start up?

[cab13367]

Go to NAPA and buy a T-302 1/4" pipe tap. Work it carefully back and forth by hand into the threaded block hole and it will clean the threads right up so that you can put the block plug back in. Squirt a little wd40 on the threads to help it along.

Looks like this:

[SC_LSV]

Bought the 1/4 threaded tap and used it with some penetrating oil, worked perfectly. My knuckles really wish I would have tried that sooner. Thanks for the info.

[Garn]

Where do you get these? Lowe? Home Depot? Plumbing supply store? Does anyone have a picture of one of these so I know what I'm looking for when I see it?

How about the straight brass radiator drain valve for an 80's car. Where would I get one of those?

Thanks,

Garn