Drain for 1960s bathtub

So every resource online says “A bathtub drain is always 1-1/2”. And 1-1/2" bathtub drains are all that Home Depot seems to sell. Problem is my 1960s bathtub appears to be 1-3/4" despite all the resources say bathtubs are never, ever, not in a million years something other than 1-1/2". My “solution” was to put a 1-1/2" drain in, the only one I can buy, and try to plug the massive resultant leaks with plumbers putty. But every six months this gives out and I get water all over the basement floor.

Any ideas short of replacing the entire bathtub?

Can you link to the replacement part you bought?

I’m thinking a solution involving a good quality caulk and/or gasket material might be suitable for a longer term fix.

Find a real plumbing supply company and buy a 1 3/4" drain from them.

Ditto.

I’m an idiot DIYer. Redid my 1915 bathroom. Nothing from Home Depot fit. The local plumbing supply store was quite helpful. They didn’t have a 1915 toilet ring but they did have an adapter. Same story with the claw foot tub.

There were many many many different thread pitches for drains in the past. I have a display with about a dozen different adapters at work. In 7 years I’ve sold One successfully to keep the existing drain.

A good plumbing supply house will have the adapters but I can tell you it’s so much easier and cheaper to just pull the old shoe and replace it with a standard 1.5” one. Even if you need to open a wall or ceiling and patch, you will end up with a much better draining tub and a waste that is easily and simply repaired in the future.

https://www.watcomfg.com/watco/PartsAccessories/WATCO%20Strainer%20Body%20Bushings.html

That’s what I’m referring to.

So the problem is the tub hole is too big to for a standard 1-1/2 inch shoe, if I try to put one in it fits really loose and leaks like a sieve.

What size is the hole?

I am not a plumber. But somewhere in this universe, most likely at a plumbing supply store, or the internet, there is something that fits.

YouTube it also. Best thing that ever happened to idiots like me is YouTube