Re: Thermostat & retainer - can this REALLY be CORRECT??

Posted by BigKev On 2008/8/29 22:16:48

I would remove the retainer and thermo and put it aside until you can get a replacement housing. You dont want the retainer getting lost down in the head somewhere. Kanter, Max Merrit, should have originals. Last time I looked in Kanters catalog, they also had bronze (I was mistaken about it being brass) reproduction housings. I think there's is $120, expensive but they will probably last longer than either of us. I think I paid $89 for mine from the local PI chapter. I belive it was the San Diego region, but it may have been the Southern Calif region. I cant remember which one it was.

Now, if the rest of the housing is in good shape, and the metal is not too thin, then perhaps you can wire brush the metal inside where the nubs are supposed to be until it's shinney and clean, and lay a couple small beads with a MIG welder to recreate the nubs. Just enough on each side to give the retainer somewhere to rest. You can see about what they need to look like from first set of pics. You got nothing to loose. If it doesnt work out, then you will need another housing anyway.

As far as the gasket goes, as long as you didnt glue it on, you should be able to reuse it. Remove the housing bolts and tap the housing sideways to break it loose, rather than pulling up on it. I just give those kind of paper gasket a super thin (paper thin) coating of gasket sealer. So you should be able to reuse it as long as you didnt use a gasket glue, or and didnt go crazy with the silicon or sealer.