How big are my nuts???

No not those...

The ones on the bumper bolts for the Europa. The car has 4 carriage bolts holding each bumper on. For the '73, all-8 used 13mm nuts on the inside, but on the '72 only one one nut front, and one rear were 13mm - I've tried a variety of sockets and box-end wrenches, but none fit, the nut is just >< too large. However, a 14mm or 9/16" are too loose and round the corners.

I did manage to get one nut off and measure it, and it looks like a 13.5mm??!?!?!! Thanks Lotus... It also appears there's a slight chance a 17/32" socket might fit, as if one of those is easy to find.

Have any of you run into something as odd as this before? The guys on the Europa board had never seen this either.

Sounds like good old Whitworth sizes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Standard_Whitworth

-Rob

Bingo was his name-o. Time for a new set of tools, Pete.

Basil, my Series Land Rover, has some Whitworth fasteners. I've been able to get by with using care and a metric/SAE fastener that's close.

Apparently the P38 Range Rover (the second generation, right before they got all BMW and worked) had Whitworth, metric and SAE fasteners on it.

What you need, sir, is an "Alabama Socket Set"

In reply to Sonic:

That's how I got this one out of the back. The front is too tight for anything other than a socket or box-end.

I've looked into Whitworth, but I haven't found measurements for the head size?

Get a cheap 13mm box end and file it back a little. It ain't rocket surgery.

Sonic wrote: What you need, sir, is an "Alabama Socket Set"

make sure you get the metric one ... that is a furrin car

for those ... try this

wbjones wrote: make sure you get the metric one ... that is a furrin car

The Craftsman adjustables I have are metric on one side, if you flip it over then it's SAE. I think you need a special one for whitworth though. :)

If you rebuild the engine, you might need a metric or whitworth degree wheel.

Still out there, but they ain't cheap.

http://www.mossmotors.com/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=31573

RIP Al Moss, BTW..

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2012/09/27/al-moss-1932-2012/

codrus wrote:

wbjones wrote: make sure you get the metric one ... that is a furrin car

The Craftsman adjustables I have are metric on one side, if you flip it over then it's SAE. I think you need a special one for whitworth though. :)

gotcha ... my fail was I didn't turn mine over .. never realized

6 point sockets will often make up for a difference in size. Rebuilt a Dauphine engine once using sae 6 points.

petegossett wrote: I've looked into Whitworth, but I haven't found measurements for the head size?

That's because they're sized for the shaft of the bolt/nut, not the head. Fun, huh?

Luigi (in a bad Italian accent) "Guido saysa none of hisa tooolsa fit !"