[Healeys] Side curtain sockets exterior thread description

[Michael Oritt]

My goal has been and continues to take the "wobbliness" out of the side
curtains which results from having the unthreaded pins drop-fit into the
unthreaded sockets and to give as good a weather seal as possible.  To that
end, several years ago I had a machinist make four brackets to replace the
stock-style brackets which came with the NICAL side curtains.  The new
brackets are machined out of a solid billet of AL.  They are about 5/16"
thick and are much stiffer than what came with the curtains. I attach them
to the curtain frames with SS machine screws and nuts so the brackets are
firmly mounted to the side curtain frames.

Instead of having fixed pins on the lower leg of the brackets they are
drilled to receive chrome plated button-head M10x1.50 screws about 1-3/4"
long which pass through the brackets.  I picked that size because the OD of
the screws is just a bit larger than the smooth interior of the stock
sockets. I was able to use the screws as taps, and with a bit of machine
oil and gentle hand I threaded the socket interiors and I can screw the
curtains down onto the sockets with a T-handle and largely eliminate the
wobble that was inherent with the stock system where smooth pins simply
dropped into the smooth sockets.  The screws are loosely retained in the
brackets with rubber washers slid up onto the shank and under the brackets
which keeps them from falling out when I store the curtains, and also
provide a bit of protection against scratching the top surface of the
sockets.

Initially everything was very good but over several years' use two of the
four sockets--which are threaded into the wooden blocks--have become loose
because of wear in the wooden blocks' thread and I can no longer draw the
button head screws tight without the sockets rotating in the blocks, etc.

I have a couple of solutions in mind but all involve getting the sockets
firmly attached to the car.  The easiest would involve replacing the wood
blocks with metal ones fixed to the doors' interiors with holes tapped to
screw the sockets into (which would preserve the eccentric adjustment the
sockets furnish) but in any case I need to know what is the thread on the
sockets.  The set of dies I have are not of sufficient diameter to
accommodate the exterior of the sockets for sizing and in any case I doubt
that the thread is either SAE or Metric.

I hope this long explanation explains my problem and thanks for your
interest.  BTW I will post pics, hopefully tomorrow, of the brackets and
fasteners.  I have no pride of authorship and hereby waive all rights and
release the concept to any other semi-compulsive owner of any
side-curtain-equipped vehicle.

Best--Michael Oritt

On Thu, Nov 21, 2024 at 7:56 AM Michael Oritt <michael.oritt at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Can anyone please tell me the thread size of the side curtain sockets
> including the TPI, pitch, diameter, etc--and where I might purchase a die
> for same?
>
> Best--Michael Oritt
>
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