Plenum coolant bypass..necessary to tap holes - ZR-1 Net Registry Forums

Torchred96 · 11-14-2011

Haven't had much time for working on the car but been thinking...

I have the IH's off of course and I was just wondering why go through the trouble of tapping the coolant holes. Not just because of being lazy (or cheap...though I am trying to keep my cost for this hobby down) but It seems that I recall intake manifold gaskets years ago coming with block off plates for certain coolant passages...(I may be thinking of head gaskets coming with these pieces of aluminum or steel thin plates).

Either way, just wondering why I couldn't do the job more simply with tools I have rather than go hunt down and buy a tap (guessing the right size) and aluminum plugs to fit a tap that I CAN find.

Has anyone else done it this way? Or have other ideas..like using a bolt with slots cut in it for a tap, and then cutting off the threaded part of a ss bolt to plug in the IH. Or are we worried about the reaction of dissimilar metals in an electrolyte? You could still insulate the two pretty easily with something like JB weld. Just thinking out loud. I know most of you are very particular about your z's and want only the very best way to do something and this seems like another one of my hacks. I am trying to keep this car, a ZR1 and prove (maybe just to myself) that it can be just as inexpensive to own as an ltx or L98 car.

After getting done with the sec throttle delete and a few other mods, I think the car is going to be just as reliable, if not more so than my 96 (may she rest in peace).

11-14-2011	#1
Torchred96 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Homestead, Fl Posts: 247	Plenum coolant bypass..necessary to tap holes Haven't had much time for working on the car but been thinking... I have the IH's off of course and I was just wondering why go through the trouble of tapping the coolant holes. Not just because of being lazy (or cheap...though I am trying to keep my cost for this hobby down) but It seems that I recall intake manifold gaskets years ago coming with block off plates for certain coolant passages...(I may be thinking of head gaskets coming with these pieces of aluminum or steel thin plates). Either way, just wondering why I couldn't do the job more simply with tools I have rather than go hunt down and buy a tap (guessing the right size) and aluminum plugs to fit a tap that I CAN find. Has anyone else done it this way? Or have other ideas..like using a bolt with slots cut in it for a tap, and then cutting off the threaded part of a ss bolt to plug in the IH. Or are we worried about the reaction of dissimilar metals in an electrolyte? You could still insulate the two pretty easily with something like JB weld. Just thinking out loud. I know most of you are very particular about your z's and want only the very best way to do something and this seems like another one of my hacks. I am trying to keep this car, a ZR1 and prove (maybe just to myself) that it can be just as inexpensive to own as an ltx or L98 car. After getting done with the sec throttle delete and a few other mods, I think the car is going to be just as reliable, if not more so than my 96 (may she rest in peace).