I let someone else work on my truck several years ago. The next time I had to replace my starter, I found the lower bolt would not tighten down. The threads were stripped in the transmission housing! No time to fix it then or the next time or the next or the next. I am not sure how many starters I have changed on this truck. Five or six over the last 15 years. I looked at several threads on FTE to see how someone else fixed this problem and I decided to try putting a 7/16 stud in the hole. It had a 3/8 bolt pointing aft and going thru the lower flange of the starter. The hole in the tranny is enclosed and braced on the rear with a forged plate, so you can't drill through it and put a long bolt and nut on it. The other option was a Helicoil kit ($35 -$40). Still had to drill and tap the hole so why not go larger. The 7/16 stud fit through the starter flange hole. So I turned a 3/8 drill bit with small Visegrips very carefully cutting thru the old threads. I kept cleaning out the hole and measuring the depth. Then I started to tap the hole turning the tap with a small adjustable wrench. Carefully started the tap and with small turns and lots of oil and backing it up and taking it out and cleaning the hole, I tapped it! Double nutted the stud and wrenched it in. The starter slid over the stud and against the plate. A lock washer and washer under the head of the top bolt and a lock washer under the stud nut was the moment I had envisioned. I double nutted the stud just because I had the extra nut. The starter hot wire and the battery ground cable were just minutes to tighten. Then I turned the key and got that solid cranking sound and then my Green Beast rumbled to life. A very pleasant feeling. I hope this will help someone else, sometime.

pete

 

Awesome idea and glad to hear it worked out for you, the "tip" need to go here too.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ease-read.html