Wilbur,
I tried that initially and thought it would work, but the thread is pretty much gone now.
Jon, it is a straight thread with gasket seal, so I'll try finding the helicoil, but most of the local parts stores don't have anything bigger than 1/2".
Teflon does have its uses and have had some luck in other situations. I like your teflon garden decorating idea too; didn't think of that before!
