Stablizer rod on the Rod Shifter...

[Mike Kopstain]

I went to shift the car out of gear and the shifter got really sloppy. Upon further inspection, the mount that the bolt on the stabilizer rod threads into has broken off.

It appears that a shorter than OEM bolt was used (I'm not really sure) and it only broke off part of the threading; so I can get a longer bolt and it should thread in, but does anyone have any experience with welding the bellhousing? I'm assuming it's aluminum.... Am I going to get this piece to weld back on or am I out of luck?

 

[Mike Kopstain]

bump

 

[jthomas68]

You want the long or short story?
It`s happened on many SHO`s,including mine.The bolts comes loose,which is what wipes out the threads,then eventually falls out on the road somewhere.The bolt (12X1.75mm threads) can not be purchased seperately from the dealer.You also may have a very hard time finding a bolt to replace it,you won`t find one at Home Depot,Lowes,etc.What i did was make about a million calls until i found a 4' length at a local place(the thread pattern is pretty rare).I used hex nuts and threadded rod to make my own bolt,and it`s held for 3+ years now.I did lose some of my end threads also,but not enough that i couldn`t get any grip.I cleaned and bottom tapped the threads,wound in the rod,nutted it tight against the tranny,slid over the stabilizer bar,then tightened two nuts against each other to hold it on,yet still allow the "play" that the stabilizer bar needs.
If you want to weld some material in there to renew the threads,have you looked into how you would redrill and tap the hole?It`s very restricted at a 90° angle,not easy to get to.
If you can`t find any threaded rod or a bolt,let me know,i have some left i`d be willing to sell.
Keep in mind i`m leaving tomorrow for Camfest,and won`t be back for about 2 weeks.

<small>[ March 26, 2003, 06:51 PM: Message edited by: jthomas68 ]</small>

 

[Mike Kopstain]

Oh Jeremy, if that was the only problem I'd kiss the ground. When I say the threading came off, I mean that part of the tube with the threading on it actually broke off.

 

[jthomas68]

You may be out of luck then,the tranny case is cast aluminum.I remeber someone trying to weld the parts back together after a diff pin hole,but it would just burn holes in the case.I don`t know what else to tell you,usually it`s just the stripped threads.

<small>[ March 26, 2003, 10:39 PM: Message edited by: jthomas68 ]</small>

 

[Mike Kopstain]

Not what I wanted to hear.

 

[olympic]

I concur that your probably S.O.L. I made a brace for my shifter stabilizer to prevent such a catastrophe. It's just a couple pieces of flat iron welded, bent and drilled to fit. I also used loctite on the bolt.

<small>[ March 27, 2003, 02:59 AM: Message edited by: olympic ]</small>

 

[Mark W]

There is a product that allows you to weld aluminum with a propane torch. I don't know the name of the product. Whether or not you could weld a threaded piece up sufficiently to allow it to thread or not is another story.

You might check with some transmission shops or machine shops or welding shops to determine what their strategy would be.

You could also check with City Auto Wreckers in Aurora, they had a '90 SHO last weekend with an intact trans. It apparently had been wrecked while running, so the trans should be OK. I sent you an e-mail earlier this week about it.

Mark

 

[jthomas68]

Sorry Mikey,i know it`s not good news for such a simple problem.Even if you could weld it(which you most likely can`t),as i sadi,i don`t see how you`d drill and tap the hole.Even a 90° drill wouldn`t have clearance to fit.

Olympic-that is one sweet set up,what a great idea!

 

[drivinhard]

Yes, I have a similar brace set-up. I've broken 2 boss' off 2 trannies drag racing. The problem is the bolt/thread portion is pretty short where it enters the case (it's using the same threaded length originally set-up for the cable shifter bracket). And the leverage point is pretty long, so the rod/bolt can actually tear off the alum boss on the tranny. The good news is there is enough meat there to usually chop it off flush, re-drill, and tap for M12x1.75.

Setting up a brace like olympic is a good idea for aggressive driven SHO's. The only step I'd take farther than his, is using a longer bolt. Because of the amount of meat there, you can drill and tap the threads a bit deeper, and use more threads. Torque is 47 ft/lbs or so published IIRC, I usually use 50 ft/lbs on mine with a little loctite.

 

[Mike Kopstain]

Well thanks for all the help. I am going to have it towed to a transmission shop and see if we can re-thread it.

A couple questions for Mark and Olympic, Does the bolt for the stabilizer go to the end of the threading in the hole? The bolt in there appears to be much shorter than the threading, thereby putting more stress on a smaller area. Is that normal?

Also, it appears that I can just get a longer bolt, thread it in, and sandwich the broken part in between. If this is do-able, is it recomended?