Thread on starter solenoid?

[Colin Lindsay]

Before I go bother the In-Laws on Monday, does anyone know the thread of the square Lucas starter solenoid terminals on the Herald family? It's neither metric nor UNF and as the cables have worn some of the threads flat I'd like to repair them, but need to identify the correct die. It's a red-button version so I want to reuse it, but it's not the same thread as on the modern round push-button versions; I've already checked that.

[PeteH]

55Deg Whitworth Thread?. I`m guessing?. Possibly 5/16" or 3/8" Whitworth?. I still have a bunch of brass whit; nut and bolts kicking about and they look similar.

I`ll have a look in the morning, currently all my starter kit is in the shed in one of the "crates". and no lighting.

Pete

[Colin Lindsay]

Thanks Pete. It's a fairly coarse thread, seems to be 5/16 (8mm?) but nothing I have matches it, and if I visit the In-Laws they'll no doubt have the die I need but will take hours confirming the thread first, which always makes me feel guilty that I'm holding them back from earning money.

[Pete Lewis]

used to be 1/4whitworth same as was used on battery terminal clamps of the era

pete

[Colin Lindsay]

Not Whitworth; I borrowed a set of Whitworth die nuts yesterday and neither the 1/4 nor the 5/16 will turn on the threads without locking. 

[NonMember]

I thought it was 5/16" UNC

[PeteH]

Any Idea of the age of the solenoid?. Circa 1960`s manufacturers in many industries started to produce and or use UN(C)(F) threads?. This is a 60degree thread form, It "co-existed" with the 55degree "whitworth" standard for a number of years. It was a right Headache to those of us who where repairing both modern and older machines.

Pete

[Colin Lindsay]

No idea of the age but it's a red button version which I think predates the non-manual versions? I have some of those too but the nuts are not interchangeable.

Off I go tomorrow to borrow UNC dies, then..

[Colin Lindsay]

Not UNC either... turned out they were BSF. Not only did they have BSF dies they also had a drawerful of BSF nuts. Job done.

[Pete Lewis]

well maybe the memory fog i did say 1/4 whit which is same spanner af as 5/16 BSF  

so i wasnt far off Ha !

it was a common size you will find the starter is the same  , one spanner would undo all the main cables 

form bat terminals, solenoid and starter   all on family of fixings ....simpluze  what 

Pete

[PeteH]

BSF?. At second look, maybe it does look less coarse than BSW. still a 55deg thread form. As Pete said, the older spanner sizes could be a bit confusing, And then you had "full" Nuts. They where a spanner size larger than the more common  ones you come across. Allegedly they where in general use prior to the begining of WW2 the size was reduced as they used less material. So Grandad told me!.

Pete

[Colin Lindsay]

55 minutes ago, PeteH said:

 So Grandad told me!.

Pete

The father-in-law is 80, after all. Watching him find one die out of a box of dozens was... painful... but he knew what he was looking for and it worked first time.