been there, kicked my butt many times over[:@]

 

LOL ... my Grandfather actually taught me a trick that worked pretty well.

Wrap a damp towel around the center of the valve while heating it up. It helps to keep the center cool ( where the plastic is ) while you'r heating the pipe.

Another trick was to shove a piece of bread up in the water line to keep water from dripping out. The bread will instantly dissolve once the water is turned back on. Having water in the line while trying to solder will make heating it up much longer and thus you stand the chance of melting the plastic again.

 

Exactly

Re-tapping and using a bigger plug would have been my next course of action.

 

How about worse case he welded his old drain plug into the hole and then just drilled and tapped another hole in a different spot? That would work wouldn't it?

Do you think the pan still has to come out to weld it? Do you think the oil in it would catch fire while he's welding it?

 

That was my intital thought. Take the original plug out. Find a new smaller drain plug and drill and tap a hole in the original plug and weld it back into place. I mentioned this plan to the mechanic I am planning to take the truck to and he liked the idea but wanted to make sure the pan wasn't aluminum, too thin, etc. If this would work it would be a cheap permenant solution. It surely would cost $880+. My dad thinks I should cut the crossmember out, drop the pan, replace and weld the crossmember back in place. I like the American Chopper sound of that plan but I don't want to go that far.

Brazos

 

If your worried about the thickness of the pan, since you already have the welder out, why not weld a nut to the bottom of the pan after you drill the hole to give you the extra threads needed for your new bolt ?

 

Just do as Drew suggested and drill the hole, re-tap and use a bigger drain plug.

That is gonna be the least intrusive and won't require removing the pan. You also don't have to worry about heat or it catching fire.

After you drill and tap, just put a few qts of oil in it and flush out any small particles.

 

I too think that is his best bet and makes the most sense, however he's said that he's having some trouble finding a bigger drain plug. Any suggestions?

 

What size is the current one? Actual bolt size, not the head.

 

I take back what I said, I thought it was an 02 which has the 18mm, your is 22mm[:@]

I thought I had you saved at geno's but they only have up to 22mm.