Bent Throttle Valve/Butterfly on 60deg. Carbed 175

[skimmabird]

Hey guys I'm redoing a 91 175 60deg. as a winter project. One of the butterfly's on the throttle plate is bent about 10deg. The throttle plate for this side is #336646. There are #'s on the valve/butterfly(336740)itself. I can't find that # for sale. I can unscrew and sneak out the butterfly. Has anyone had this issue and been able to straighten out the metal or buy just a butterfly. What does anyone think about clamping the butterfly between two flat pieces of 1/4"-3/8" steel and giving it a few light heat and cool down cycles with a torch or will it anneal the butterfly and make it useless. Should I cold bend it or just clamp it cold between two true pieces of metal and smack it with a maul a couple times? I need some unexpected parts to bring it up to snuff and I'm trying to keep the cost down if I can get away with cheap fix and it's legitimate. Thanks

[CharlieB53]

While it may be tempting to squish it between to plates, that may cause it to bend in other areas before it all comes flat.

Vise the major portion, the straight part between to flat surfaces, small plates, just to hold it firmly.

The 'bend' and the remaining straight side will be left exposed.

Clamp the straight portion immediately above the 'bend', and straighten the 'bend' as well as possible . I have used a 12" cresent wrench on its side so that it contacts the whole of the exposed blade, stick a heavy screwdriver or bar thru the wrench handle hole and use that bar as a lever to rotate the cresent wrench. A wide welding clamp will work.

Once the butterfly is majorly straightened then you may use to plates and a BFH for any final adjustment.

Or a smal to medium Brass hammer and finish straightening it like a nail.

Check your work to ensure fit, that you haven't 'egged' it any and once reassembled that it does not 'stick' at any position open/closed.

If it feels like it drags at any point in the throttle movement color the edge with a sharpie, work the throttle then look to see if/where any ink has rubbed off, that is your tight spot.

[Forkin' Crazy]

It is going to be really difficult to straighten it and have it seat properly in the bore. I'd look for another from a parts motor. Better yet replace the whole assembly.

[skimmabird]

I unscrewed the butterfly and found one bend on one of the sides where it slides through the throttle shaft instead of multiple bends, fortunately. I ended up vicing it up in between two pieces of nice flat aluminum with the bent side hanging out. I clamped it with a small duckbill vice grip right where the bend started and got it close to flat. Then I viced the whole butterfly between the aluminum plates and hit it with an acetylene torch little by little and drew the vice in a few stages and heated it up one last time and snugged the vice all the way and let it cool down for ten minutes. It came up just about perfect and seats and opens just about perfect.