Anybody Totally Stainless?

half the bolts in my 3b have seen better days and the other half are mia, so has anyone use the totally stainless kit for a ecj5 in their flatty? i'm sure that there are some that aren't needed but there should be some overlap, right? i like the idea of a wad of stainless bolts for around a bill. i don't mind using anti-seize, but are these quality bolts? tia.

 

I've been reading Carrol Smith's Nuts, bolts, and fasteners, and if I'm understanding it right, stainless is good for corrosion resistance, but isn't that great for high wear/stress areas. For example, probably not a good choice for body to frame, or spring eye/shackle bolts.

 

Yeah, I agree, as long as you use 2 donuts per bolt. In that configuration, you will never get even close to stressing the bolts. But I tend to over-engineer anyways.

 

Stainless steel fasteners can be helpful, but it can pay to educate yourself a little on what you’re buying. Stainless alloys are divided into 3 general types – Austenitic, Ferritic and Martensitic. All of them have chromium in the steel mix, and decent corrosion resistance - but only the Austenitic alloys have nickel in the alloy, and they are the only type suitable for automotive bolts. The best alloys are 300 series - 302, 304, etc., sometimes loosely referred to as “18-8” by lazy venders that want to be able to freely mix any of the 300 series alloys. The “18-8” designation refers to the 18% chromium and 8% nickel in the alloy. Problem is – some 18-8 alloys don’t fall into the 300 series range. One quick test is to try the bolt on a strong magnet. If it has more than a very weak attraction, it’s not a stronger 300 series alloy. The 300 series generally run close to the tensile and shear strength of grade 5 fasteners, but some are more brittle, and some softer, and not as strong – so it pays to know what you’re buying. A vender or jobber that knows their stuff will be able to tell you the exact alloy of the bolts they are selling. If they tell you it’s “18-8”, at least check every bolt with a magnet – or better yet, find a more reliable vender.

 

I have access to an unlimited supply of Grade 5s courtesy of my employer, so methinks I'll stick with those.

Don