Here’s a new Bklyn.X story for you:
I noticed my d44 front diff was leaking. Most likely a result of continuously smacking it against rocks and boulders while off roading (bad driving
). I’m too embarrassed to post a picture of it so you’re not getin’ one. Instead here’s a pic of the housing after I took the cover off and hid it from site:
I decided to replace the beat-to-shit cover with a new one instead of just taking the beat up one off, cleaning it and putting it back on with fresh RTV. I also decided to try a LubeLocker Gasket instead of my typical incompetent “Jackson Pollock” looking RTV mess.
Not being satisfied doing this simple job in a normally short and uneventful manner I cross-threaded one of the cover bolts during installation. This fucked up one of the receiving holes in the housing. Although I did not put a wrench on the bolt, just hand tightening, it fucked it up enough that I couldn’t get a new bolt to start correctly even after taking the cover off.
I must admit with the vision of replacing my entire d44 with its custom welded perches running through my brain I was near tears.
I used a pick to try to chase the zanged threads with little success.
I measured the bolt, 5/16-18, and headed over to Lowe’s with a prayer and found a proper sized IRWIN Hanson 2-Pack SAE Tap and Drill Set. Even though I didn’t need the drill bit for $8 WTF.
This tap has IRWIN’s “exclusive self-aligning feature, ensures a straight thread every time”. Oh yeah, we’ll see about that.
Not for nothing it worked great! It caught the inside threads and “chased” the whole thing beautifully without cutting anything new/different.
Saved! I highly recommend!
The rest of the job went easily.
No leaks so far. Opps, I just realized my F'd up cover is in the pic ^. How embarrassing.
Thanks for looking.
) but that’s all minor crap that can be done easily on the “mirror” without taking it down or attaching it to anything. 
