The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Need special pitch thread chasing die

What I need is a 7/8 x 16 thread chasing die. The only one I found from a Portland tool shop was over $60! There have to be adequate and less expensive chasing dies out there. I've tried lots of places and they all say 7/8 x 14 nf is all they carry.
Any suggestions appreciated and if you have one laying about your shop you haven't used in years I would gladly purchase it or 'rent and return'

Background:
I'm putting new seals in a first series 10-bolt open driveline rear end and find the PO really buggered up the end of the pinion gear shaft. The nut was extremely hard to get off all the way out. I'm ready to put it back together and got a new 7/8 x 16 nut but can't get it started due to beat up condition on end of shaft.

I tried a thread file but it doesn't do the job.
Thanks again for any help,
Jerry

jbinwa,

That is a weird TPI. I have seen external thread restorers that have dies for the TPI but they are $92.00 clams.

The thread file will clean out dirty threads and can straighten out slightly bashed threads, but for the most part they don't work well.

Your pinion shaft is tough material, and as you noted, was abused by a previous 'wrench'!

My suggestion would be to taper the immediate end of the shaft with a small air grinder or angle head grinder. Get rid of the ' mushroom ' on the end and you will get back to good threads.

You can use a small file (not a thread file) to clean up any threads on the end that are deformed. It's possible to use a nut as a 'faux' die if you put some Neverseize on it and run it over the damaged area a few times.

The issue doesn't appear to be bad threads but a mushroomed end on the pinion shaft. Good luck.

Stuart

You need a 7/8 x 16 NS or National Special. McMaster comes in at $71, so that is a bust!

Like Stuart says, a grinder usually works for me!

A small 3-cornered file is what you need, use it to dress the threads up. It has always worked for me. Brian

Thanks to each of you for the tips/suggestions. I finally got the nut started by using a sanding wheel on the 4 in. grinder to bevel the end of the pinion shaft back into the good threads and then a thread file to bring up the tip of the threads that were flattened and finally a 3 corner file to dress up the 'entry ramp' thread. The pinion shaft is hard material as Stuart noted. The new nut was the right self-locking type that is punched to give the threads a not-quite-round profile so it won't back off.
Thanks again for the help,
Jerry

Try MSC Direct,They will send you a FREE catalog
with every tool in it just about. The prices are
fare,the tools are A+
The catalog is like 5 inchs thick,and the shipping is FAST!
Wick