Dp I have to buy surface mounted taps?

[Kazza01]

HI, I'm new here and a bit of a novice so my question may seem odd and I don't even know if what I am trying to do is possible so please bare with me.

I have just brought a Roll top bath that I am currently restoring, it needs Surface mounted taps, now here is the question. I have some normal veritical mount mixer taps ( cost me a fortune) Can I just remove the vertical part ( sorry dont know the technical term) from the taps and then surface mount? There is a large bolt on that part so I thought I would just be able to take it off but it just seems to turn. Any ideas on how to get it off welcome as I am getting a tad frustrated with it

I know my description is not too good I have tried to upload a pic not sure if you can see it though, pencil is pointing to the bit I am trying to remove.

Thanks K[/img]

 

[TicklyT]

From the look of the piccie, you will either need to hold the tails still and unscrew the union nuts if they are threaded onto the tails, and free to rotate on the tap bodies, or two spanners to hold the male and female parts if it's a union joint free to rotate on both the tap bodies and the tails.

Then you will have the problem of replicating the fittings on the end of the tails in a form that includes a method of fixing the taps to the tub.

Those unions may have Standard Brass or Metric Fine thread, both of which are somewhat finer pitch than the Standard Pipe threads on the tails, making it almost impossible to match the parts you will need to adapt with standard plumbing fittings.