Machine (lathe) delema , none.

[afterburn 549]

I live in the middle of nowhere.
What I need is a piece of pipe turned down to press into a freeze plug hole.
One with pipe threads inside so as to screw a block heater into it.
SO, that part is EZ enough.
I do have some cones and a tire-balancer.
I am thinking it centers up on that, and a grinder whilest it turns.?
Do you think something close to a press fit and JB weld for any non-uniformity?
This is an old Kubota. As in 1970s.
All the parts people online give me stupid answers.
How could a snow blower not have a block heater is what I have to postulate...

[id10t]

sorry, i'm an idiot... but...

Couldn't you just drill and tap a freeze plug?

[unclebilly]

Get the right thing. Amazon is your friend.

JB weld and a pressurized cooling system is a friendship not long for this world.

[javadog]

Gotta be a machine shop withing driving distance of where you are.

[911 Rod]

Originally Posted by javadog

Gotta be a machine shop withing driving distance of where you are.

So few left.

[javadog]

Originally Posted by 911 Rod

So few left.

It's a changing business, for sure. If you live in a small town, you might not have one but maybe you never did.

Around these parts, they are still easy to find.

But, I once traveled 200 miles one way to take a complicated thing to the ONE GUY that I wanted to use to make it, so maybe I'm a weirdo.

[Dpmulvan]

Originally Posted by afterburn 549

I live in the middle of nowhere.
What I need is a piece of pipe turned down to press into a freeze plug hole.
One with pipe threads inside so as to screw a block heater into it.
SO, that part is EZ enough.
I do have some cones and a tire-balancer.
I am thinking it centers up on that, and a grinder whilest it turns.?
Do you think something close to a press fit and JB weld for any non-uniformity?
This is an old Kubota. As in 1970s.
All the parts people online give me stupid answers.
How could a snow blower not have a block heater is what I have to postulate...

Something like shown in the photo.

[Zeke]

There are other ways to set up a temporary lathe turning operation. But I have to agree with Billy that a roughed up round pipe pressed into a threaded hole, thin I assume, is not the best idea. Vibration, not to mention other conditions may very well make this a short lived deal.

There are plenty of threaded plugs out there and starting with Amazon and eBay is a good idea. You might end up looking through the McMaster catalog to find your item is you know the specs. You can drill out a solid plug and thread it.

AFA machine shops go, they dislike one-offs because they can't charge enough to make it pay a small profit. A home machinist such as myself is another thought. Being "in the middle of nowhere" is actually where you might find these folks.

Seeing @Dpmulvan's pic makes me think it's out there. Worst case is you find a pipe with the correct OD threads and buy a tap. Do it right.

[afterburn 549]

OK, OK, I have looked everywhere where , I even ordered that one shown off Amazon.
It did not fit.
The measurements they gave were unclear as to which part they were measured at, the adapter or the heater.
SOooo
That's why I will do my own pipe adapter.
If there were a lathe within 100 miles of me, I certainly would do this the EZ way.
But even that one is a cobb place.

[wswartzwel]

would a magnetic oil pan heater work?

[afterburn 549]

I have one here; however, I would like to get the cylinder warmed up.

[908/930]

That is why I have a small lathe in the garage. What diameter is the ID of the frost plug hole? What pipe thread is the block heater? Years ago in desperation I have done what you are thinking of with turning the part with a drill press and grinding it close then sanding, it can work depending how much material needs to be removed. Is the frost plug large enough to drill and braze the NPT adaptor to it?

[3rd_gear_Ted]

I have a 10" Monarch EE tool lathe with a retrofitted AC drive package.

Was able to buy it back in the day from the Douglass Aircraft salvage yard.

[Sawyer911]

I had both an inblock and a mid hose heater set ups in my VW Diesels. I also have the magnetic heater for the oil pan for really cold nights. For a while I had a battery heater as well.

The block heater had an rubber expansion mount, pull freeze out plug and insert the rubber expansion part tighten the center bolt and install the power plug. The mid hose fit inline on the lower radiator hose. I did find the block heater the best.

Never replaced the block heater and got 480k on than motor, the mid hose lasted for about 470k only the actual hose was replaced a few times. The magnetic heater worked to help thin the oil for easier starting but had to get low on the ground to install & remove. The battery heater was ok but living under the battery was a rough life for it.

Sawyer