I'm planning to make a special bolt from a short length of rod. I did this successfully a long time ago when I was a teenager. I imagine I can do it again but before I go and buy the tools, I have a question:

Will the die make perfect threads all the way to the head of the bolt? I seem to recall the cutting teeth at the front of the die make a very shallow cut to allow the cutting to start easily. The teeth cut deeper as the die screws on farther. The teeth at the back of the die cut the threads to their final depth.

So, would I be able to spin a nut all the way up or would the threads become too tight the last few turns near the head of the bolt?

* Last updated by: Rook on 12/18/2014 @ 2:44 PM *

---

That's correct. I would think to flip the die over and use the less shallow side. The cone taper like you said is the starter side. But if you look close, the cut has to be the same blade like a razor, right? You can flip a razor and it still cuts the same, yes?

---

Now why didn't I think of that? Yeah, that will work. Easy. This will be an aluminum bolt.

The whole shank is 30mm long. M8 x 14 reduces to M6 x 16. ...like a 6mm shank sticking out of a 14mm shank. ...like a telescope.

---

Thanks, Hub.

---

worth a try but now that I think about it, it will pretty tough to cut to the very end those beginner threads that get left at the top. Maybe with aluminum. If not, I'll figure something out....maybe just grind the top 2 threads right out with a dremmel? No threads, no problem.

---

Take a normal nut and cut straight lines through it. About three of them. Think of a tap, and do the opposite. Carbide burr, file, mini hacksaw blade, You can figure something out. I make stuff like that happen all the time.
With a cut grade 8 nut, you can make threads, no sweat.

---

Thanks Jimmy.

Here's what I had in mind. The 8mm diameter is threaded from inside the battery box through the hole in the frame where the LH side subframe attaches. The 6mm portion protrudes from the side of the frame like a stud. My PC will be grounded on the 6mm with a nut and then there will be a fairing adapter bracket that I will be making out of polymer to anchor the LH side fairing. This is because I am eliminating the LH side subframe where the LH side fairing is anchored. I will probably just leave the whole 30 mm of shank M8 for now but that is awful big just to support a fairing and hold a little ring tongue.

* Last updated by: Rook on 12/19/2014 @ 2:25 PM *

---

I probably could find some kind of helicoil that has 6mm inner threads and 8mm outer threads. Then all I need is a regular M6 x 30mm screw. Helicoils are pretty hard to remove after installed though, aren't they?

* Last updated by: Rook on 12/18/2014 @ 7:21 PM *

---

NEW IDEA:: Instead of a helicoil, how about if I get 14 mm of M8 threaded aluminum rod. Drill right down the center and tap M6 threads. Thread M8 rod onto 30mm aluminum M6 bolt. I gotter done! Might be just a hair off center but that won't matter.

---

Drill right down the center and tap

Think of a brake banjo bolt. Drilled down the middle and too much torque, the threads snap because of the weak wall (hole down the shaft) is like a weak link or which thread is the weak link? Or say the hole is drilled first down the shaft. You thread that after the bored hole, that is stress as you twist. Better to thread the outside first then drill last if tapping down the center.

This takes a box of numbered drills. Say you use said drill and it is too large vs. metric. The numbered drill gets away with that loophole.

---

Better to thread the outside first then drill last if tapping down the center.

Ugh. That would mean a magnetic base drill press. Don't think I'm trying that with a handheld drill.

How about if we take a M8 x 14mm bolt and drill a clean hole down the middle, then insert a 6mm threaded rod and glue it in with epoxy? No need to cut any threads. The epoxy might insulate the ground but as long as the ring tongue contacts the shoulder between the M8 and the M6, we have ground to the frame. There won't be too much torque on the 6mm stud sticking out (heck of a lot less than a banjo bolt. Just a good snug nut on the ground tongue and then hand tight on the nut that will fasten the fairing over the top.

* Last updated by: Rook on 12/18/2014 @ 10:44 PM *

---

I'm going to take aluminum dowel and build a 2-step thread, piggyback thread style bolt, etc.
1. Problem is I need the threads all the way up to the head and then some.
2. I will need to keep running the threads all the way up the dowel so I will now stop and double-nut what threads I've already cut. This is so I can keep threading the dowel to the end.
3. I will now use a nut and use green locker to hold the nut on the end of the threaded dowel.
4. I will need to somehow keep the piggy screwed in place so I will use blue locker. I know that green is more permanent or the strongest and will stay in place. It will override the softer blue locking agent, if there is a need to secure the threads in place, meaning, without using a steel lock washer on an aluminum thread and stress that area, no.

That OEM bolt is made so it is hard in the tensile strength, can take pressure pull and flex and not snap off. That means a fresh round of brand new drill bits and that means bigger drills as you open the hole. The tap is going to break inside the hole eventually. That's how strong the bolt is vs. the cutting tool being sharp but brittle. So if there is no stress being used, getting away with aluminum dowel to use as an engine bolt and piggy off of that? I don't think so.

What exactly are you doing with this bolt mod and where is the OEM hole on the bike?

---

I see, you're talking about making a bolt out of a rod and then green lokTiting a nut on the end for a head. That would work but I need an allen head because this is going ion a really tight corner. No room for a hex head, I even had to gring the allen head to a smaller diameter. The bolt is threaded in from inside the battery box (8mm threads).

The shank of the bolt sticks out of the frame on the left side. The inner nut is to hold a ring tongue for my PC5 ground. The outer nut is to secure the fairing over the top of the ground. I will be making an adapter to reach between the LH side fairing and the bolt sticking out of the frame.

This setup I have will work fine if I attach a larger ring tongue to the wire and go with a 9mm hole in my fairing adapter. I'd rather have a 6mm tip sticking out because it seems more sensible for securing a small ground wire and a section of fairing. Then I'd stick with the small PC ground ring and go with a small hole in the fairing adapter. Just me being a perfectionist, I guess.

Now that I look at it, that bolt doesn't look so awful big, does it?

* Last updated by: Rook on 12/19/2014 @ 2:42 PM *

---

Now that I look at it, that bolt doesn't look so awful big, does it?

Nope. Not only that, here is the thought:
1. I want to have a decent ground so I want to remove the nut, head to the auto store and buy what is known as a star washer. Even car dealers have this kind of hardware for repairs anshit. Star washer means it cuts into the metal surface. This creates the better bare metal to bolt ground. I want to dig into the frame.

2. Look at how far the bolt sticks out. You can run the pc/grip warmers/cig lighter-for the gopro setup, etc. That's 3 easy grounds piggy'd over that bolt, not pull the battery and add a ground where you are showing the arrow. So the ground eyelets are going to be that large or step the bolt size down to a 6mm bolt and place the star washer against fender washer kind of sizes so the 6mm bolt does not fly thru the hole. Even 8mm flat washers and crush a star washer behind the washer and frame and there is you ground > sized down to a 6mm bolt. Now your eyelets are smaller with the same wire gauge.

3. Make this your accessory ground and forgo the battery base area. Or, stay with what you have and use the star washer so the ground has integrity and there is no question as to the ground setup. Use the larger eyelets, etc.

4. Now, are you saying you want to drill that bolt so as to replace the fairing? The fairing hole is where that ground bolt is now? Is this why the thread in the middle of that bolt you mentioned doing? Then, say we have this scenario. I would extend the 6mm bolt so I have a 6mm nut to protrude thru the fairing and I use a 6mm nylock nut to hold the fairing in place, yes?

---

So the ground eyelets are going to be that large or step the bolt size down to a 6mm bolt and place the star washer against fender washer kind of sizes so the 6mm bolt does not fly thru the hole.

Ya, I guess you wouldn't need the threads of the 6mm bolt to contact the threads in the frame as long as you used one of those star serrated washers to make contact. The bolt head could stay on the inside of the battery box, the ground nut would hold it all tight on the outside. Only problem would be the 6mm bolt would spin if you ever wanted to remove the ground nut. You'd have to pull the battery and hold the head of the bolt while you turned the nut.

I think I like the idea of sticking with the 8mm bolt and going with a larger ground eye. That way, I could torque the bolt to about 10 ft lbs and it should stay put when I loosen the ground nut on the outside because that won't be torqued. The fairing nut will not be much more than hand tight.

Now, are you saying you want to drill that bolt so as to replace the fairing? The fairing hole is where that ground bolt is now?

Not quite. The fairing bolt hole on the left is in that cone shape. The cone shape bolts against the subframe. I'm removing the subframe permanently. SO, no more subframe, no bolt hole, no place to attach the side fairing. I plan to make a fairing extension out of polymer clay. It gets hard as a rock when you bake it in an oven. The fairing extension will have a bolt hole and it will attach to the frame where the subframe was attached. I can make the hole in the fairing extension any size I want. I would just prefer a smaller size since that seems more appropriate for a fairing ...and a small ground wire.

Then, say we have this scenario. I would extend the 6mm bolt so I have a 6mm nut to protrude thru the fairing and I use a 6mm nylock nut to hold the fairing in place, yes?

That's what I had planned. The bolt is long enough to hold a ground tongue and ground bolt and there is still just enough length to hold about 4-5mm thickness of fairing with a wingnut holding it all down. I was thinking of using a grommet in the hole of the fairing extension so the fastener would not vibrate loose. It would work sort of like a well nut. The nylock is a simpler idea.

Looks like I have a lot to think about. I'll probably go with the least esoteric solution to all of these problems. Stay with a regular 8mm bolt. Maybe use a nylock but I like the grommet idea. If it weren't for my need for a ground here, I could just thread the bolt from outside and use blue LokTite.

Thanks for another round of great ideas, Hub.

* Last updated by: Rook on 12/19/2014 @ 9:58 PM *

---