Case Saver Quality

[Germaneighter]

Just received (30) Case Savers from our host.
As I was giving them a quick inspection the first thing I noticed was a good amount of swarf that came off the pieces as I poured them out on my desk. If I was to gently wire brush all of the pieces there would be quite a bit more as they all have chips both inside and out.
Second - if you look close at the crest of the threads it appears there is a grove. This is typical of all the pieces.
Third is the very poor quality of one of the case savers. Maybe the tooling was dull?

I was expecting these pieces to be more "aircraft" quality given the amount that has been written concerning how critical the installation of these items is.

Any thoughts about these three observations?
swarf
grooved thread crests
poor thread quality (1) piece

Am I being too picky?

[Lapkritis]

Typical for hardware provided when purchasing a bargain basement, clone turbo manifold from offshore outfit... Those are usually tossed out anyway and replaced. Here... I dunno. Looks like loose QC.

Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

[racing97]

I don't think you will find a tap for a thread like that.

regards

[Germaneighter]

[QUOTE=racing97;10444702]I don't think you will find a tap for a thread like that.

regards[/QUOTE

Do you say that because of the thread profile?

I noticed that the picture in the catalog shows the threads with this same grove at the crest. I wonder if it's intentional to help retain it in the case?

[racing97]

Well it is supposed to be a 14mm x 2.0 pitch and as all taps and threads have a percentage of engagement that can vary from 70 to 85 if you put the insert up to the tap you can see maybe 25/30%, its ugly. I bought a bunch of them from the same source as you and I was not able to install the insert in the tapped hole without a considerable force so I bought some from Ollies which probably sourced them from Canyon the company that makes all the Head Studs for Porsche and VW and they went right in like you would expect.

regards

[Germaneighter]

I tried to purchase case savers from Ollies and was told they don't sell them outright. I went by the local VW shop and compared a case saver they had in stock to one from PP. The one from the VW shop is on the right and it also has grooves on the crests but they are not as wide or as deep. Overall quality looks better also.

Doing some investigating revealed the grooves on the thread crests are a result of the roll-forming process. While rolled threads are reported to be stronger than cut threads, the quality is more difficult to control. Thread profile is determined by many variables, one of which is the elasticity of the material being formed. Another is the diameter of the stock prior to forming.

An additional benefit to roll-forming is less material waste which means less chips. This is kind of funny considering the amount of loose metal that was in the bags of case savers I received. I can't tell if the inside threads were also roll-formed or cut. If they were cut then that might explain the chips.

I'm not sure how I will proceed at this point. I should probably return the PP case savers and pursue finding better quality pieces.

The following website has some good info on the subject if you're interested- https://www.ctemag.com/news/articles/chuck-chips

[racing97]

Yes I understand the roll forming process but it is done vary poorly in this case you should not have developed this thread profile all ARP fasteners are essentially roll formed and you don't see any indication of this effect, at least with the naked eye.
I don't know why they would determine the thread going in mag or alu would need the strength of roll forming the ones I have left are just perfect and could have even been single pointed I really don't know. Its too bad Ollies wouldn't part with a set

I don't know how you get in touch with Canyon Engineering but they were in Valencia you may look over these

https://www.ebay.com/p/Engine-Cylinder-Head-Stud-Insert-Canyon-Engine-Engine-Cylinder-Head-Stud-Insert/140134854

[racing97]

sorry I noticed the link was for 12 x 1.5 and a 8mm VW insert you would be looking for a 14 x 2.0 x 10 x 1.5

[Germaneighter]

[QUOTE=racing97;10452802]Yes I understand the roll forming process but it is done vary poorly in this case you should not have developed this thread profile

Sorry racing97 - I didn't mean for my last post to sound like I was schooling you. I'm an armature (although a 60 yr old one...). I thought others who were not up on roll-forming threads might get something from it.

I tried to find Canyon Engineering without success as yet. But I'll keep searching.

Thanks for the input.

[flightlead404]

[QUOTE=Germaneighter;10453355]

Originally Posted by racing97

Yes I understand the roll forming process but it is done vary poorly in this case you should not have developed this thread profile

Sorry racing97 - I didn't mean for my last post to sound like I was schooling you. I'm an armature (although a 60 yr old one...). I thought others who were not up on roll-forming threads might get something from it.

I tried to find Canyon Engineering without success as yet. But I'll keep searching.

Thanks for the input.

Great article, good read! I certainly learned from it.

[targa72e]

Not sure what brand pelican sells or if these would be any better but they have the correct thread (14 x 2.0 x 10 x 1.5) and are available from EMPI. You can find them on Ebay and other VW outlets. $15 for 8 inserts. Might be worth purchase to compare with what you have.



john

[Tom Elder]

Using an M10 SHCS to install the case savers, it took a bit of torque. On the 11th one a bit more torque.

Anybody found a good brand of case savers they would recommend?

[Dpmulvan]

McMaster Carr has a decent variety, good quality. Check machine shop supply places as well.

[Dpmulvan]

Key locking inserts while more expensive also have stronger holding capabilities.