Posted a month or so ago that I picked up a '93 4cyl 4WD pickup and so far it's been great. It made getting around in the snowstorm last week a breeze:



I've fixed some of the problems/issues with the truck and there are two that I want to tackle next.

The first one is that when I was changing out the spark plugs, I found that the previous owner buggered up the threads for one of the spark plugs (second one back from the front) and it was really tight getting the new plug in. I backed out the plug and the threads don't look too bad - so I thought I might use one of those reverse taps to chase out the threads. Any words of wisdom on this and more importantly, what is the diameter/thread pitch I need to get for the tap?

The second issue is that I would like to take off the rusting front SmittyBilt bumper and put a new (probably factory) bumper on. Are there any instructions on removing and installing a front bumper? Looked in a Haynes manual and couldn't find anything.

Thanks!

 

can't help you out with the plugs, but i would love to take that bumper off of your hands, but im sure you don't live anywhere near calgary??

truck looks good btw, and welcome to yotatech!!!!!!!

 

lol, nevermind, i just looked at your other post, that bumper is really rusted, i would change that

 

Put grease onto your tap. That way any shavings don't fall in the engine.

 

I purchased a re-threader tool at one of the big parts sellers and it works great. You must hand start it and slowly tap-retract, tap-retract until it catches and pulls itself forward. Still tap-retract on every turn until it bottoms. Next time you install plugs, use generous amounts of anti-seize lube. The grease suggestion is a must to keep the aluminum buggers out of the cylinders.

My $0.02

 

The bumper is simple to remove. Roll your ass under the truck and look for all the bolts holding it on and remove them. It is just that easy.

 

yep its only 4 bolts, i have the same bumper on my truck.

 

Thanks for all the help and advice on the spark plug hole reverse-threading tool. It turned out that I needed the 14mm version. I picked one up at the local auto store last night and finally mustered up the courage to work on it today.

Used the grease to trap the metal shavings and also went slow, expanding the tap a little bit each time and stopping after awhile to get out the shavings. In the end, I hooked a vacuum up to a funnel and stuck it down in there to get out whatever else might be left in there.

Put some anti-sieze on a new plug and it went in and seated perfectly. It looks like the hole had been buggered up worse than I thought and I don't think the original plug made it more than 1/3 of the way down.

Crossed my fingers and started the truck. So far the idle seems smoother than before. The tool was more expensive than a traditional chaser, but in the end, it was worth it. I can't imagine that I would have found a good thread at the start to chase.