My stays don't fit anymore...

Jan 05, 2004 10 Replies

Bet that's got someone's attention.;-)



I've had to get a new battery for the old Rover, and it's slightly taller. It's held in place by a pressed steel angle piece along the top, and two stays that hook in the body at the bottom, and have threads and wing nuts at the top. And one is now too short by about 1/2 in. The thread size is M5 - the car was made at a changeover time where some stuff is metric, some unified.



The obvious way would be to simply make a new one, but could I get galvanised rod of the correct size easily? My thought was to extend it if I could find a suitable length of internally threaded tube - I've got the correct taps and dies, but no lathe to drill an accurate hole through the centre of a 'blank' even if I had something suitable lying around.



I don't fancy using threaded rod - it would look cheap and nasty. But an extension of some sort near the bottom of the stay wouldn't show.



Just to explain matters, I sometimes 'show' the car at the SD1 club meets, and try to keep it as near 'correct' in this sort of thing as possible.


Don't know how long your rods are, but they sound very similar to those used on old shape Saab 900s (of which I have 3). The Saab stays are also M5 rods, with wing nuts and washers at the top, and a tight hook at the bottom. They are generously sized - I've yet to fit a battery that's too tall for them.

Rather than trying to make an extender, would the aesthetics of the SD1 community allow you to use a "long nut", as it were? Those nice people at RS will flog you a Nut, Connecting, Hexagonal, Steel - arrgh! Yes, they will, in zinc-plated steel, or A2 stainless, or A4 stainless; and in metric sizes M6, M8, M10, M12, M16, M20. (276-522 et seq, since you ask).

Notice, though, which size is missing? Yup. You want M5 - go whistle.

Ah well... Stefek

In article , Dave Plowman writes

Corset would...

In article , Dave Plowman writes

My Land Rover's got the same mechanism (also M5 I think). As with another poster (with a Saab), mine can take huge batteries. I suspect however that the bits are cheaper for Landys :)

The threaded part is long and amenable to a hacksaw if it is too long. Alternatively, you could just get a piece of M5 studding and cut and bend it to length. I don't think the Landy ones are even painted, but Hammerite dipping/painting would do fine I'm sure.

Now if you know of a source of M5 wing nuts, I'd be delighted...

Regards,

Simonm.

Another suggestion which may or may not be aesthetically pleasing enough......

Get a short length of M5 stud (like a bolt without a head) and a few M5 nuts.

Put one nut half on the original rod and then tighten the stud into it. Then put a nut either side and tighten them up (alsternatively braze or weld or summat if you have the necessary gear.

Alternatively, make up a length of rod onto an s shape (think of the things butchers use to hang bits of meat up and use that to extend the bottom bit of the rod "pick up monkeys" stye.

HTH

Now there the RS catalogue can help - rswww.com online. M5 wingnuts in steel (521-866, 2.50 the bag of 50), A2 stainless (293-123, 8.29 the bag of 50) or A4 stainless (248-4337, 11.79 the bag of 50). Plus VAT and (without an RS account/Delivery Point Code) shipping&handling. Wingnuts, M5: yup. Hex connecting nuts: nope, as previously whinged.

Or if it's just a few you need, send me email - I'm pretty sure I've a bag in the garage ;-)

Stefek

B&Q, would you believe. Might have to be a large one or warehouse. How many do you want?

In article , Dave Plowman writes

Only two. Guess what for...

Actually (and thanks, Stefek too!), it's a good excuse to go down to my local nut + bolt factor later in the week. They do really useful mixed 'selection' boxes of things like anti-shake washers (like Screwfix, but cheaper, IIRC, and more per box).

I feel an expedition coming on...

Regards,

Simonm.

Well, if it's for the Landie, I've got some rather nice brass ones you could have a couple of.

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