7 mm thin-wall tube spanner or hex socket

[Lionelgee]

Hello Mike, Bruce, James, David, Grant, Rob, Bob, and Chris + All,

Thank you for all your different suggestions of options to solve the machining issue with bolt access for the alternator. Also, thank you for the safety precautions as well - they are greatly appreciated.

As mentioned in the message immediately before this one, I have ordered a set of hex nut drivers online.

Last night I also contacted a fellow member of an Australian Land Rover forum. While we live two states away from each other they do own a metal lathe, rotary grinder and a milling machine. They very kindly agreed to machine the socket down for me. I will post down a socket and an old voltage regulator that the auto-electrician dug out from a pile for me yesterday. The regulator must have been easier to find then their adapted socket.

So between the hex socket driver order and the interstate machining task I should have all bases covered.

I will just need to be patient. Sigh.

I will let you know how I go. Thank you again for all the replies.


Kind regards
Lionel

[Lionelgee]

Hello All,

Just a quick update on the thin wall socket. I did buy the set of nut drivers mentioned in an earlier post. Their 7 mm one's walls were too thick for to gain access to the alternator bolt head. While I was waiting I bought two types of 7 mm socket: a normal sized and a deep socket. I asked a fellow member of a Land Rover forum if they could use their lathe to turn the sockets down for me. I sent them the sockets and the voltage regulator with a pre-paid return envelope. Gavin turned the sockets down and bought a socket to turn down for himself for future use.

I had also bought a new voltage regulator from the UK. As it turned out the new voltage regulator and the interstate posted modified sockets arrived at home within two days of each other. The modified sockets worked! Thank you Gavin!

I have since used the nut driver set on other projects and they are a versatile tool. So it was an investment not a loss.

Kind regards
Lionel