NATDA Magazine Nov/Dec 2015 | Page 12

Chase ‘em Back Tools If you’ve spent much time working on cars, you know how nice it can be to have a tapand-die set ready to go. Especially, when you manage to damage the threads on a bolt or a threaded hole, or when you discover that the guy who got there before you did. But even if you have the taps and dies ready to go, executing the repair often requires some finesse, which in turn takes time. In cases involving studs, or even bolts, we recently discovered a new method of approaching the repairs that should ease the difficulty, and the amount of time involved in coping with the initial threads that have been damaged. These are the situations where getting the tool to even begin the repair is a challenge, requiring detailed filing, and sometimes leading to further damage. Chase ‘em Back Tools developed its Hinged Reverse Thread Chaser as a means of quickly repairing damaged threads in the field. The tools look similar to conventional dies, except that they are split into two halves. The halves are hinged, which allows them to be opened, positioned over the lower portion of the stud, or bolt, where the treads are still intact, and then closed and fitted into the supplied wrench so that the tool can be worked up towards the end of the stud, using the undamaged threads as a guide. For the most part, once the Hinged Reverse Thread Chaser is positioned over the good threads, the procedure of straightening out the damaged threads is the same as using a conventional die. You must use some sort of cutting lubricant, and you get the best results by carefully “working” the tool, going back and forth against the damaged portion of the threads to re-establish the proper pattern. The supplied wr