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MG MGA - Cage Nuts

Hi

Anyone have a supplier of welded cage nuts or square nuts so I can make my own cages. Specifically 3/8 UNF and 5/16 UNF.

Also anyone had any thoughts on my steering arm thread of a couple of days ago. I am sure someone must have had the same problem.

thanks

Barry
B Bridgens

Hey Barry, I got mine from Todd Clarke at Clarke spares. Good luck! Tom
Thomas McNamara

Re: steering arm. Consult the Moss parts catalogue. Maybe it helps to decide which arm you need.
Art Pearse

Hi
Thanks Thomas, if I can't find them in Europe I'll contact Clarke.

Art- the steering arms that I would ideally need would be the later 1600 ones which are straight. Unfortunately these are the larger diameter ones that don't fit the knuckles that I have which are early 1500 ones with 1/2" fixing nuts.

Thanks to both

Barry
B Bridgens

Barry, your question is - can I get away eith my existing steering arms when I fit discs? You may just have to go ahead and try.
Art Pearse

Lots of people have converted 1500's to 1600 disc brake parts. It may work without the dust shield. I think the issue is whether or not the rubber grease cover on the tie rod end would rub on the rotor. If it does, you might heat the steering arm with acetylene torch and bend the arm slightly inward (then shorten the tie rod accordingly).
Barney Gaylord

Hi

Thanks guys, I'll suck it and see.

Any UK suppliers of cage nuts?

Barry
B Bridgens


http://www.namrick.co.uk/

Siggi
Siggi

Hi Siggi

Thanks for the link but I don't see welded cage nuts or square nuts in their catalogue. I need to replace the caged nut for the windscreen pillar and the nuts on the front and rear wings lower section. 3/8" UNF for the former and 5/16" for the latter. I am waiting a reply from Clarke and I also contacted McMaster-Carr in the USA who have them but don't ship outside USA for private sales.

Barry
B Bridgens

Why do you not just get a piece of steel bar, drill and tap to whatever you need, and saw it to size? I've done it many times, much quicker than driving to town, never mind finding and ordering stuff from the other side of the world.
The cages can usually be saved if you just open up one side to change the nut, but the cage is also not difficult to make.

FRM
FR Millmore

I got my cage nuts from brown and gammons very recently.
c vassallo

I looked in the McMaster-Carr web site, and I only find coarse threaded cage nuts, none in fine thread.
Barney Gaylord

Hi

Barney "24" at bottom right of page 3178 http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/115/3178/=i1gfon

Clarke replied about $1 each.

I'll try B & G first.

Thanks all

Barry

B Bridgens

That's interesting. They sell fine threaded cage nuts, but not fine threaded square nuts. In many cases you can repair the original style cage nuts by opening (bending up) one side of the cage to insert a new square nut. The square nuts are also fairly easy to make in a pinch.

The McMaster cage nuts should work functionally, but are not original as used on the MGA. The original cage looks like a cross with for sides folded down, then the two wings folded out, all one piece of sheet metal. If you pick up the un-welded cage the nut stays on the table (falls out). In order to twist the nut out of the original assembly you need to deform four sides of the cage all at once (pretty strong cage). You can open one side to replace the square nut.

The McMaster parts are made of two narrow strips of metal, one piece with two sides and wings, the second piece underslung and crimped over the top. This looks like a cost reduction with less wasted material in the stamping process. If you start twisting the nut here you deform only two sides of the cage while the other two sides (the second piece) may twist and come detached from the main cage piece. This may not be as strong as the original MGA cages. Also looks to be much more difficult to open up to replace the square nut and re-close it again.

They are about double the price I would expect, but maybe because they sell in packs of 10 rather than boxes of 100.
Barney Gaylord

This thread was discussed between 17/06/2012 and 19/06/2012

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