Could some kind person please point me at some BSA C15 suspension bolts? The ones which bolt the damper top end to the frame, and also hole the saddle on?
As usual, the previous restorer of my bike used metric ones. Something he did a lot. He also had a great love of insulation tape. :(
I'm finding bolts for other BSAs but not the C15.
Ohh yes, I'd better get the nuts too. I've made that mistake before.
BR,
Ian
Hi Ian
They should be 64-5048 which is 3/8" 26x 1 5/8"
They're at Tradeclassic bikes, ebay etc.
OK Thanks,
I found them listed for Bantams. I trust that they are the same. ? In any case, I have ordered them, so I will find out.
BR,
Ian
Bolts have arrived. The nuts with them are 1/3" wide whilst the metric ones were 1/4" wide. Maybe this is why they were fitted.
The problem that I now have is that the luggage rack and the saddle both bolt to the inside of the frame leaving little space for a nut without it rubbing against the smartly painted mud guard. Now I can remove the luggage rack to get me going but it is a bit of a pity.
Maybe I could file down the nut but it would be a bodge.
SO... If anyone can recommend a good source of 1/4 " wide nuts it would be welcome. Suppliers don't always mention the nut width in the ad.
Alternately is there anything else which I need to know? I wouldn't be the first time that the previous owner has assembled something wrongly and I have blindly copied him.
Regards,
Ian
Nah! No real luck so far.
3/8" nuts mostly seem to be 20tpi not 26tpi. I checked the bolt which I have with my lovely new digital calipers and definitey 26tpi.
I found a couple of options but both in Germany and the price of shipping massively outways the price of the nuts.
These?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/164587238912?itmmeta=01HW07X22S37W9SPA3T0B673TW&hash=item265229f600:g:QvIAAOSwYutayPxN&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA4K2r8Qw9BwY5Yd0USC3QEoqyAoRFimsjVYZH
Or these?
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/291236102545?itmmeta=01HW07X22T00SF7PZ48WTH5CHV&hash=item43cf064191:g:b8UAAOSwDNdV6wa5&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA4BMq7t7KPrhNrRhpOuawbEjYxKHrS09AlSAVrb%2
The original nuts (part no. 02-0049) were listed as being 0.218" or roughly 5.5mm thick, so Julians second link to the half nuts should suffice.
Good stuff! Thanks to both of you! I have them on order now.
Arrgh! The saga continues.
The new nuts arrived but don't fit the bolts. They start doing up well, but jam after about 4 turns. I tried three of them but they were all the same.
SO it looks like the tpi of the nuts and bolts is different although it must be close.
Measuring is tricky, even with calipers, but I suspect that the bolt might be 24 TPI rather than 26.
ADDENDUM: A few minutes later.
Actually I checked on ebay and the bolts which I bought have UNF threads! SO annoying. So, could someone now recommend the right bolts to go with the right nuts?
Thanks,
Ian
Okay, I reply to my own thread.
It seems BSF is 26TPI at 3/8" and UNF is 24TPI at 3/8", so my guess was pretty spot on.
What is annoying for the uninitiated is that sellers only give part of the information, e.g. a bolt is sold as UNF but no pitch info and a nut is sold as 26TPI and no thread. Both are then sold as being for BSA.
Anyway, I have now ordered some slim UNF nuts, and we will try again.
If you have a mate with a lathe it's a five minute job making full nuts into half nuts, or you could even file them down in the same time if you're handy with a file.
26TPI sounds like BSCy which would probably have been fitted originally.
Crazy! I wanted to replace Metric bolts, which are wrong, with UNF, which is still wrong, Ho Hum!
Re the lathe, I would probably have to find a UNF stud to screw the nut to to go in the lathe jaws, otherwise a good plan.
Filing too is fine as a final option, but like to get things absolutely right if I possibly can, but maybe you had figured that out already.
Hi,
'Stainlessmiddleton.co.uk' do half/thin nuts in UNF, BSF and Cycle. If you do not mind some non-standard bolts then they do a lot of stainless bolts etc.
Dave.
Quote from: Barnsey on 25 Apr, 2024, 17:33
Re the lathe, I would probably have to find a UNF stud to screw the nut to to go in the lathe jaws, otherwise a good plan.
Or use a UNF bolt, which is much more common? Do you have an "odd nuts and bolts" box you could look through?
I have some UNF nuts now, which fit the bolts 'Hurrah!'
I think I will be starting a couple more nut tins for BSF and UNF.
If you're going to stick with old British bikes then forget the UNF tin and start a BSCy tin instead. ;)
Hi Ian
random question for you
iv just started to restore 1964 c15 ss and am having trouble finding correct rear shocks for her
any suggestion would be greatly received
regards
dane
Hi Dane,
Sorry but I am going to disappoint you. This is my first brit bike and the shocks appear to be good. The problem is in attaching them to the bike. I suggest that you start a fresh thread as there are some helpful people on here who are sure to come to your aid.
I now have matched UNF bolts and nuts, so I can proceed, although the idea of using BSF nuts is more appealing. Maybe we will come back to that.
I also removed the luggage rack to make it easier to attach. I am sure I have seen pictures of C15s with racks that don't use the suspension mounts, and I can see why.
BR,
Ian
Quote from: Fleetstar on 30 Apr, 2024, 16:18
Hi Ian
random question for you
iv just started to restore 1964 c15 ss and am having trouble finding correct rear shocks for her
any suggestion would be greatly received
regards
dane
Try Hagon's; they do classic bike shocks.