Locating a particular threaded die

[Burnerman]

I have to agree......bear in mind there are a lot of these cars in the breakers yards so you should come up with something.
John

 

[Lower]

Just buy yourself am M18 bolt. Bet you it fits.

I’ve done lots of work on hondas and toyotas and I’ve never found a non metric thread.

 

[Tigercubrider]

the first thing is to identify the thread and as Lower says, just buy a bolt. It's generally cheaper to waste a few bolts ( keep them) than all the hassle of thread gauges - although a gauge is pretty cheap off eBay.
There are loads of hitches on eBay, but you don't state the model. They're £15 or so.
You can't be the first.

One trick with old British bikes is to remove another likely looking nut or bolt from elsewhere to trial fit then see if any documentation gives the details of the mystery thread

 

[peweuk]

Where we live it is hard enough to find decent clothes or shoes, let alone anything out of the ordinary such as anything with a thread bigger than M12. I've tried the local hardware stores and none of them have anything close to the size. That's one of the hazards of living in an area where there is no over-development.

As I mentioned earlier, if I can't find a threaded bar I'll have to buy a second hand hitch from ebay and modify it.

Having requested details from Lexus I had a response asking for the VIN number within 24 hours - but after over a week have heard nothing since giving them the details.

I have now ordered a gauge off ebay - hopefully will be here tomorrow so I'll hopefully have an answer at the weekend.

 

[peweuk]

Turns out the thread is actually Non-Metric.
It is 3/4" diameter and is definitely 8G - ie 8tpi.

Just waiting now for the results of some enquiries for someone to turn me the threads on bar.

 

[JohnD]

Turns out the thread is actually Non-Metric.

Could it be an American fitting?

They have not yet moved into the 19th Century.

 

[Burnerman]

This is similar to BSW / UNC but unfortunately the tpi for both threads is 10.....for 8 tpi it would be 1” BSW.
The thread angle is of course, 5 degrees different - BSW=55deg, UNC =60 deg if I recall.
Have you tried a Lexus specialist breaker? I think it would be the best move to get anywhere.
John

 

[peweuk]

I eventually received an e-mail back from Lexus - it said that all they could find was the attached drawing -



which is confusing because it specifies the thread in metric with a pitch of 3.175 - which is non standard for metric and is equal to 8 tpi, but it also states M18 which is 1mm less than 3/4". Go figure.
Still looks like I'll have to go the custom machine route - but the recent lockdown is going to make it harder to find someone to do it.

 

[Burnerman]

If you can still get second hand ones for £15 - that's the route to go. I'd expect custom made ones to be around the £50 at bare minimum.
John

 

[peweuk]

If you can still get second hand ones for £15 - that's the route to go. I'd expect custom made ones to be around the £50 at bare minimum.
John

I can get new ones on ebay (with correct thread) for similar money - but for the project I have I will still need machining done - to cut off the hook end and extend the length by adding a bar - so I will probably be just as cheap to buy suitable lengths of 1" bar and have the threads turned on them.

 

[Burnerman]

It takes a LONG time for a lathe to be set up for thread turning.
Personally, I'd buy the component from ebay, cut the eye off and have someone weld a length of bar to the stubs.
Good luck with your project, whichever path you choose.
John

 

[Stivino]

It takes a LONG time for a lathe to be set up for thread turning.
Personally, I'd buy the component from ebay, cut the eye off and have someone weld a length of bar to the stubs.
Good luck with your project, whichever path you choose.
John

That would be my option too. It might not even be necessary to cut the eye off.