nuts 'n' bolts

[Don B.]

Re: nuts 'n' bolts

Joe-
That may be the correct name. I had a small biz back in the early 80s and our product required metric hardware, so Mr. Metric may be the place. I haven't dealt with them since those days long ago, but remember that they were helpful. I hope they still exist and haven't changed their policies. I'll let you know what I find out.

On the torque info thread... where does one find a listing of 'standard' torque specs?? (And thanks for the additional info, Joe.)
Don

[Joe L.]

Re: nuts 'n' bolts

Don-----

I got the information out of several reference manuals of some repute some time ago. It seemed that each manual had slightly different numbers but they were all pretty close. So, I kind of developed a "composite" from all the manuals and that's what I use.

Torque is highly influenced by a lot of factors, especially thread lubrication.

[Joe L.]

Re: nuts 'n' bolts

Don------

If you want to get known quality and material 7/16-20 slotted nuts, just order GM #9440271. These will give you a SAE grade 8 (GM-301M) nut. They will also have a "natural" or "plain" finish, as original. Any GM dealer can order them for you and they currently GM list for $1.77/each but come in a package quantity of 5.

Also, please measure and advise the thread and shank length for the long and short bolts. I may be able to come up with a currently available GM bolts of known material and quality that are close.

[Dick W.]

Re: nuts 'n' bolts

Don. here are the Fastenal locations in San Jose

San Jose, CA 95112
P: (408)283-9550
F: (408)286-9552

687 E. Brokaw Ave.
San Jose, CA 95112
P: (408)452-8108
F: (408)452-8109

[Don B.]

Re: nuts 'n' bolts

Joe -
I discovered that one of our local vette parts dealers, Corvette Clinic, carries the slotted nuts. I can't vouch for the grade being 5 or 8 however, but they are not plated, resemble the originals exactly, and are purchased from GM. The nuts sell for $1.00 each. (These nuts may be the same as those used on C2/C3 PS rams.) 408-295-9300 and CC has a web site yet to be completed. I bought grade 8 nuts at Orchard Supply Hardware (OSH) for the other bolts not requiring slotted nuts.

As for Mr. Metric, they used to have a 'store' where one could walk-in and order, but now all orders are over the phone (or perhaps the web). Minimum order is $10.00. Most of their business is industrial, but they carry a lot of fasteners and may have suitable bolts that can be modified. I don't hold out a lot of hope for doing business with these guys. 408-286-8816 and there is a web site.

I'll have to get back to you tomorrow on the exact length of the threaded portions.

I'm sort of amazed that some enterprising person hasn't had a batch of these parts made up. The most difficult task would be drilling the locking-pin / safety-wire holes, I would think. BTW, my car did not have pins or wire through these holes! What is the appropriate locking device, pins or wire?? If wire, what gauge??
Don

[Don B.]

Re: nuts 'n' bolts

Thanks, Dick. I've called Fastenal at the first number you gave me. You're right that they would prefer to sell in quantities larger than we would like, but they are willing to work with us on small orders and there's no particular dollar minimum specified. I found the person with whom I spoke to be very, very cooperative and informative. Apparently, Fastenal is a franchise which probably makes the difference. Since the slotted nuts can be purchased from GM or Corvette Clinic (local SJ outfit), the source for bolts is the remaining question. I'll be visiting Fastenal tomorrow and will follow up with info. I'm curious if there would be any other owners who would be interested in new bolts?? Fortunately, Fastenal has a walk-in store so the bolts can be seen to verify their appropriateness for our application before making a purchase.
Don

[Joe L.]

Re: nuts 'n' bolts

Don------

The locking device for all slotted nut applications used on Corvettes was a cotter pin of the appropriate size to just fit the hole in the bolt (NOT a smaller size that fits in the hole with a lot of "slop"). All bolts designed for use with cotter pins have a very specific size hole that's designed to fit a specific size cotter pin.

Without an appropriate bolt with cotter pin hole to be used in conjunction with a slotted (or castle) nut, those type nuts have no special or locking functionality, at all.

[daniel cavendish]

Re: nuts 'n' bolts

been going through the same thing with my '62. found a couple of odd sizes that no one else had at napa!

[Harmon C.]

Re: nuts 'n' bolts

Don
The only long used 7/16-20 bolts I found were 2 5/8 and 2 3/8 in length. They had M and CH head makings grade 8 I would say with all the lines around the hex.
Lyle

[Bernard M.]

Re: nuts 'n' bolts

Almost any piece of hardware you can dream up short of custom work can be found at McMaster-Carr. See link. For this particular question select the link to bolts under fasteners from the home page.




McMaster-Carr

[Joe L.]

Re: nuts 'n' bolts

Bernard------

Yes, McMaster-Carr is a great source for fastners. I've used them quite a few times. Their service is excellent and they ship orders very rapidly. They also have a HUGE selection. An exception, however, is SAE grade 5 and grade 8 slotted nuts. They don't carry them in any size---all they have in SAE thread is grade 2. These are not suitable for use on Corvette suspension systems.

[Don B.]

Re: nuts 'n' bolts

Joe -
The purpose of the slotted nuts is understood. I just didn't know whether GM had used safety wire or cotter pins to secure, so needed clarification. From what I gather, all nuts of the non-locking variety are used with split washers for locking purposes. The pins (or safety wire) is used to prevent the nuts from coming off in the event that the nuts should ever loosen. Since the rearward two attachment positions on the spindles also fasten the control arms to the spindle/backing plate assemblies, I can understand why the additional security of pins at these locations is required. I surely wouldn't want to lose my steering control - certainly not after 4 years of part-time work and a lot of money to get this '56 safely on the road!
Don

[Don B.]

Re: nuts 'n' bolts

Bernard -
I hadn't heard of McMaster-Carr before and will check out what they can provide as suitable replacements - at least something that can be modified to be suitable. I've found that GM still sells the nuts, so finding the bolt source is the only problem I still face.
Don

[Don B.]

Re: nuts 'n' bolts

Lyle -
Thanks for looking - I'll be visiting Fastenal locally tomorrow to see if they have a suitable substitute bolt. I want to try to get something with a similar bare (unthreaded) shank length. The local OSH store has 2" grade 8 bolts, but the bare shanks are short. The next length of bolt carried has a shank that too long.
Don

[Don B.]

Re: nuts 'n' bolts

Hi Joe -
The thread length on any of the bolts is 11/16". I visited Fastenal today and found that they have bolts which can be modified for my application. The shorter original bolt can be replaced by cutting off 1/2" of the threaded portion of a 2-1/2" bolt. Although the Fastenal store that I went to didn't have one, I estimate that a 3-1/4" bolt can be modified to replace the original 2-13/16" one. Fastenal has an equation for calculating the length of thread: 2x diameter + 1/4" This is used for bolts over 3" long. I'm not sure how well this equation works. When desperate, appropriate bolts can be made from exisiting stock - the bare shanks should be nearly the same.

If you can find other GM bolts that will replace the originals, so much the better.