I need to remove the alternator rotor nut and the book calls for a 1/2" Whitworth. Is there any workaround, short of using an adjustable wrench? BTW, where are they measuring this 1/2" Are they talking about the drive? The nut is larger than 7/8" standard. I'd like to get ahold of this Whitworth guy! :evil:
Do I need a Whitworth? Who's Whitworth?
- Thread starter Bonwit
- Start date
- Status
- Joined
- Nov 20, 2004
- Messages
- 20,423
Bonwit said:
And shake his hand, I would hope?
http://www.whitworthsociety.org/history.php?page=2
http://www.boltscience.com/pages/screw4.htm
http://www.sat.dundee.ac.uk/~psc/spanner_jaw.html
You can buy them but then you usually have to grind on them to make them fit because of what surrounds the bolt or nut. Too bad Norton didn't have their own whitworth wrenches and sockets made so they would work in all the close places. Commando kit, Atlas kit etc.
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2008
- Messages
- 1,607
Whitworth was the first guy to standardize nuts and bolts. A lot of thought was involved, figuring out the optimum head size for different bolt diameters.
His system sized the tools to fit the head of the bolt diameter listed on the tool. So a 5/16" Whitworth socket fit the head of a 5/16" bolt. This system was modified slightly to become the British Standard (BS). BS used a smaller head than Whitworth, so a 5/16" Whitworth became a 3/8" BS. Most British industry phased out Whitworth/BS in favor of SAE or Metric in the 60s. On the Norton, pretty much the only Whitworth fittings are those that were developed before the phasing out of Whitworth.
His system sized the tools to fit the head of the bolt diameter listed on the tool. So a 5/16" Whitworth socket fit the head of a 5/16" bolt. This system was modified slightly to become the British Standard (BS). BS used a smaller head than Whitworth, so a 5/16" Whitworth became a 3/8" BS. Most British industry phased out Whitworth/BS in favor of SAE or Metric in the 60s. On the Norton, pretty much the only Whitworth fittings are those that were developed before the phasing out of Whitworth.
BillT said:
You'll find that later wrenches are marked up with two sizes BSW & BSF, have a peep at this
http://www.timebus.co.uk/rlh/whitworth.htm
Though as an apprentice I was told that In WW2 the nut sizes were standardised to the smaller size, so 1/2" BSW& 1/2" BSF would have been the same, I never found any evidence of this and may well have been spun a line!
Here's a cool site with all the specs for british thread sizes:
http://www.motalia.co.uk/Html/Charts/thread_charts.html
http://www.motalia.co.uk/Html/Charts/thread_charts.html
I was taught british standard wide and british standard fin (thin)
Ever heard of "METWRENCH" socket & spanner sets? These are brilliant to say the least, they fit Metric, SAE, Whitwhorth & rounded off Nuts etc! Being a farmer( when it rains here in OZ!) I do all my own maintenance on 4wd tractors, trucks, harvesters, aeroplanes, motorbikes of various makes etc, I find these to be a good quality robust tool! They drive of the walls and not the corners elliminating the chances of rounding off and stuffen things up. Come in a good moulded plastic case aswell. There not Snapon but just as good and probably 1/4 the price, Highly reccomended!
regards Foxy
regards Foxy
I have done everything except splitting the cases on my 72Commando. Between the metrics and the SAE I have gotten away with out Whitworth tool. I have however made mods to a 9/16 open end for cylinder base nuts. I found 6 rather than 12 point wrenches usfull. That being said, I still wish I had a full set with a tap and die set to match.
72 Commando 200xxx
Combat Head with compression plate
1.5" big bore exhaust
36mm Mikuni
72 Commando 200xxx
Combat Head with compression plate
1.5" big bore exhaust
36mm Mikuni
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2005
- Messages
- 238
:evil:
I was just cursing those very nuts just yesterday......anybody else ever grind the nut head ever so slightly to fit a 9/16"?
i'm sure I'm speaking heresy here... but if you wet grind so as not to lose any temper, why not ?
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
