Hi all! New here so sorry if I’m using the wrong terms, etc. Please correct me.

Photos: Left is the shower stem. Right is one of the hot / cold stems.

Working on stopping a drippy bath / shower spout. I pulled the stems to find replacements at Lowe’s / Home Depot, but no luck. The old ones seem a little fatter and with threading in different spots. I’m pretty certain it’s the stems because tightening the old ones does seem to effect the flow of the drip (although doesn’t stop it outright). The make of the tub is Central. Not certain of the year (over 25 years old).

What’s the best way of finding matches for these stems? Or am I overthinking it? Can I just use newer stems with different knobs, etc?

Happy to just be pointed in the right direction. Thanks!

I am hoping this community can help with alternate opinions or maybe just confirm my thinking.

I have a single-handle shower faucet with shower head. This morning the valve stem sheared off - the end of the stem was still attached to the the handle, which spun free and came off the wall.

I've done some research and learned lots, I understand I should be able to just pull and replace the cartridge in that valve with a new one (with an intact stem, which I have purchased.) I see that pulling out the old cartridge can be difficult, and there is a specialized cartridge puller tool (which I have also purchased).

It's unfortunately only now that I realize that tool primarily works by screwing into the threads of the valve stem, which I do not have. And the videos I've watched of people removing these cartridges are doing so either with this tool, or with vice grips/pliers gripping the stem. I have no stem. It's unfortunate.

I started at it for a bit, tinkered, but I can't really get purchase on the body of the cartridge to pull with any amount of force using pliers or channel locks. Haven't tried vice grips yet maybe I could make that work, doubtful.

So now I am thinking maybe I should try to drill and tap the sheared end of the valve (still in the wall) to fit the screw on the puller tool, and get a longer screw for it as well. Bit more involved than I'd hoped to be, but it seems logical. Is that the right way to tackle this? Would a regular guy like me feasibly be able to drill and tap this out with just another hardware store trip? Is there another option maybe I'm just not thinking of or considering?

I have included some pictures, hopefully correctly. Inside shower wall is tile, and it's exterior facing so no access from the back. Really hoping to avoid replacing the whole valve for a stubborn valve cartridge.

I would really appreciate any wisdom or guidance I can get, thank you very much for taking a look.