I was in the final stages of getting my intake reinstalled and was torqueing down the throttle body bolts (LO3) and just as I reached the point where the torque wrench was supposed to click the tension just faded away. I pulled the TB back off and checked the offending hole and found pieces of the threads on the bolts. Can I drill the hole out and install a heli-coil at this point on an aluminum intake manifold? I've had to do it once before on the tranny case for a pan bolt with no problem but I'm not too sure about this. I don't want to have to buy a new manifold and I certainly don't want to go back with the OE piece. The intake is an older Performer TBI with the removeable torque tubes and I want to keep it.

 

Common practice to Hel-coil tapped holes in Aluminum. Done all the time in the aircraft industry.

 

Yup; people pay extra to get all the bolt holes done that way in aluminum castings. Consider it an upgrade.

 

Glad to hear it. I just picked up a kit and I may just do all three holes where the TB mounts to the manifold. Thanks for the assist.