Topic: Strut rod threads

[68 GT]

Does anyone know what the thread is on strut rods for a 67? I?d like to run a tap & die on the strut rods and the nuts to clean up the threads nicely before I install them.

[67gta289]

The nut most likely does not need any significant work, but the rod threads often do due to exposure.  I recommend a thread restoration file to clean up the threads instead of a die.  I checked the hardware spreadsheet in the library (https://www.concoursmustang.com/forum/index.php?topic=10789.0) and nut 380460 is 11/16-18.  Since the nut is a locking style I would never send a tap through it. 

[68 GT]

Thanks, I didn?t realize that the outer nut is a locking type nut. That?s why it turns harder than the inner nut! I?ll get a thread file and work on the rod threads.

[jwc66k]

I use a thread file only to "repair" bad external threads. A wire brush usually works to get the crud off. A wire wheel using a drill works too. For a nut, a 12 gage cleaning brush on a dill works on cleaning a nut that has sat for a while.
A standard tap is tapered, so a partial "tap" threading might clean up a bad thread on a locking nut.
Jim