Metric aluminum helicoils

Are you asking about the coil itself, being made of aluminum? No, never seen that.

All I've ever seen were stainless, but they will work in any material.

And yes, they are available in metric, and many other threads.

Be aware, Helicoil is a brand name. Some places, you ask for Helicoil, they will tell you no, because they are not a Helicoil dealer. Helicoil is notoriously more expensive, too.

Best ask for "coil thread repair inserts". They are mad by several companies. You do need a special tap. You can buy just the tap and inserts, or buy the kit which comes with a box, an install tool, and tap. Drill bit is separate.
 
I got a 10MM kit from my local auto supply. I think the brand on this one is "perma-coil". As Steve indicates, the inserts are SS, and are usable in steel, aluminum, etc.
 
The nice thing about the metric system is 6 mm coarse is the same pitch at 8 mm fine, so you don't need special taps. At least that's the way I remember it, but I'v been retired 8 years, and I'm forgetting!
 
Gm used a product called time-sert to repair the stripped out threads in alum. much stronger than a heli-coil.
 
A note of caution: The standard wound-wire thread repair insert is made of corrosion-resisting steel (aka CRES, or commonly "stainless") wire, and CRES and aluminum tend to suffer significant electrolytic corrosion, especially when exposed to moisture. There are several ways to avoid or mitigate that problem, with the main ones being 1) use inserts made of bronze wire (expensive and hard to find), paint both the inside of the hole in the aluminum part and the outside of a CRES insert with zinc-chromate paint primer and assemble while the paint's still wet, or use Tef-Gel in place of the chromate primer.

Super Lube makes a corrosion-inhibiting gel that might work, but I don't have any first-hand experience with it.

All that said, I, like several others here, prefer a thread repair insert made from solid stock. My go-to solid insert is made by EZ-Lok; it comes from the factory coated with an encapsulated thread-locking compound on its exterior surface. The thread locking compound does take time to cure, but if the time is available I'd rather wait than mess around driving locking keys or swaging inserts.
EZ Lok website
 
Mike , do u have any experience with the Northstar engine, especially the bigger one the 4.7. I dont think their is any kind of Heli Coil that will work their,to much power and compression, you have to to totally disasemble the engine, and drill out the head bolts studs and replace them with bigger ones> There a guy up in Winnepeg Canada, thats sells the tool a [kit] to keep it all in alignment.
 
I worked in the GM parts for 11 years ! The northstar engine is the #1 reason WHY GM dealers have the timesert kits !
 
Kool, i have a Oldsmobile with the 4.0, 275.000 miles haven't had the heads off yet, and it runs better everyday, and hope it stay that way!
 
Hello J.Schwiebert,

Go to the helicoil web site, and pick what you need. You can also download a PDF with all they have available.
From 304 stainless to inconel Phosphor Bronze. Titanium too!
Sizes from .073 to 1.5 in 12. Metric from M2x0.4 to M39x3
GUIDO.
 
I might point out that CRES heli coils are used on military aircraft on a regular basis. Any corrosion is the aluminum. To prevent this, install them using zinc primer.
 

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