4bus

iTrader: (4)

I talked to max, I didn't want to go that route because there are other part changes as well. Stock is ok. I don't know how to get a hold of mr gadgets.


Right now the housing is at a local CNC tool maker. He is basically evaluating making a helicoil type bushing yet stronger. He is going to bore and CNC thread cut the hole, then make a bushing out of steel that is threaded on both sides, inner diameter will match the old hole. Then I can just thread back together. He claims with his equipment it will be spot on, from the looks of his shop I believe him but worry about strength. How much torsional pressure is on this bearing carrier? The plus to this is I keep my shims and gears go back in the case the belong. He is estimating around 500 bucks for the machine work and I can have back Friday.

What do you guys think of that?

4bus

iTrader: (4)

Correction. The machine shop is milling the existing threaded hole in the drive housing flat, then pressing a sleeve that is threaded internal to match the thread on the old tower. The sleeve is being secured with permanent Loctite.

Can anyone advise if this is going to be ok? I guess it is no different than stock, and I can see there being any vertical forces on the threads themselves correct? I assume the tower is to support side to side torsion???

Amazing to me how guys will tear anything apart in the bilge, but when it comes to bravo advise there isn't much to go around. I want to be a DIY top to bottom, help me learn

Keith Atlanta

Even if you dont do the MaxMachine topcap, I would still tap the 4 top cap holes for 7/16 studs. I swear the 3/8 studs stretch. Once you go to 7/16 they are always tight, my 3/8 always lost torque.

It is a cheap easy upgrade.

Vortec Bandit

Call Mr Gadgets. This happened to mine also. He welded up the threads and re-machined them. His steel tower has 2 inches of thread run down in the housing versus stock Merc 7/8 inch.

michigan troll

I would not go this route. I am very familiar with the equipment and abilities of tool shops and this is not the place for it. The threaded towers are normally lock tight and torqued and they will still loosen themselves out when the bearing goes. To machine and liquid nitro the the sleeve in place will eventually work out. Even to use a locking dowel in the side it will find a way to back out. Its not if it happens its when. The threaded towers are now cast in the newer uppers.

mike tkach

iTrader: (3)

i have broke a few and sent them to max for the tower,it is stout.the oil hole in the stock merc shaft is to big and is the weak spot.i have has good luck with the imco clutch shafts.the iol hole is much smaller.

blue thunder

Concerning you question regarding cleaning out the lower, you definately need to tear it completely down to clean it out properly.

4bus

iTrader: (4)

Well, if the bearing goes the drive has to come apart anyway. It was threaded from factory and the bearing went, nearly ruined the case.....what do I have to lose? In fact, maybe if the bearing locked up in the future it will just spin this new bushing rather than rip out threads like it did in the past. The threads are not under load, and when the drive is assembled there is no place for this carrier to go, can't go down and can't go up. there is no vertical force on the tower, just side to side. The gears do not ride on the tower, it is shimmed off the housing case outside the tower

4bus

iTrader: (4)

That is right where it broke Mike! Already have a new stock shaft. I will consider better shafts this winter......or arneson drives

4bus

iTrader: (4)

I am going to do just that tonight, thanks for the advice.