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Projects maybe OT but Nuts and bolts..............

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by saints, Jan 18, 2011.

  1. saints
    Joined: Dec 15, 2008
    Posts: 553

    saints
    Member

    Here is my dilemma....every time I go to working on anything and get to a point I need a bolt to connect parts together I have to guess what size jump in the truck and go to lowes to find the right length and right size bolt or god forbid nut this results in lots of trips or lugging in the part to fit a bolt to.....The smart thing would be to pic up extra why I’m at the hardware store but it never happens......My question is I have seen someplace where I can by a metal case with sliders that have nuts and bolts already in it or a set of metric or standard....I’ve checked harbor freight and northern tools and googled it but still can’t find a set of different size bolts just to outright buy......yea I’m lazy like that but having to guess on size and length is a pet peeve
    help:eek:
     
  2. Francisco Plumbero
    Joined: May 6, 2010
    Posts: 2,533

    Francisco Plumbero
    Member
    from il.

    Grainger or Mc Master Carr, They should have kits.
     
  3. tjet
    Joined: Mar 16, 2009
    Posts: 1,335

    tjet
    Member
    1. Early Hemi Tech

  4. eddie_zapien
    Joined: Apr 4, 2007
    Posts: 277

    eddie_zapien
    Member

    I had a teacher that would buy nuts and bolts a box at a time and put them in his cabinet, that way if he needed another one down he just checked his "stock"
     

  5. pitman
    Joined: May 14, 2006
    Posts: 5,148

    pitman

    A search done here, on fastener qualiti(es) will turn up some helpful info too. It's worth buying the good material, over the less reliable stuff.
     
  6. gasser300
    Joined: May 25, 2010
    Posts: 486

    gasser300
    Member
    from Ft Worth

    Bolts from HF would be as soft as butter.

    Go to an ACE hardware and just buy yourself a nice selection of grade 5 or 8's

    I was lucky enough to come across a huge box of bolts at a garage sale once. I have not sorted them but tehyre ina 5 gallon bucket and i will dump it on the floor if i need a bolt from that and then sift through it then use a shovel to scoop em up and back into the bucket. And at another, a box of all kinda of sbc bolts.
     
  7. saints
    Joined: Dec 15, 2008
    Posts: 553

    saints
    Member

    Thanks for the links and sugestions.....yea I could buy by the box but I have yet to find a local place that sells by the box and for grade 8 it would be madness to buy them
     
  8. Master of None
    Joined: Dec 18, 2009
    Posts: 2,279

    Master of None
    Member

    Do you have a Fastenall in you area? They will come to your shop as often as you want or need and they have the shelf with the drawers your looking for. Aveeco is another company, they do trim clips and body shop stuff.
     
  9. saints
    Joined: Dec 15, 2008
    Posts: 553

    saints
    Member

    Yea I had one of those mine was a coffe can and I let my brother use it and never got it back....
     
  10. saints
    Joined: Dec 15, 2008
    Posts: 553

    saints
    Member

    I do have a [/I]Fastenall I just thought you had to have a commercial account to buy from them
     
  11. J scow
    Joined: Mar 3, 2010
    Posts: 489

    J scow
    Member
    from Seattle

  12. Master of None
    Joined: Dec 18, 2009
    Posts: 2,279

    Master of None
    Member

    Check them out sometimes all an account requires a good credit report and a bank reference.
     
  13. kma4444
    Joined: Sep 24, 2008
    Posts: 197

    kma4444
    Member

  14. 61bone
    Joined: Feb 12, 2005
    Posts: 890

    61bone
    Member

    If you have a caterpillar dealer close by, you can buy grade 8 bolts inpacks of a dozen in all different lengths at half the price of any other bolt dealer. These are USA made high spec bolts.
     
  15. nico32
    Joined: Oct 30, 2008
    Posts: 716

    nico32
    Member
    from fdl, wi

    Fastenall will take cash or charge card if you stop in and pick up anything.
     
  16. Keep
    Joined: May 10, 2008
    Posts: 662

    Keep
    Member

    Check out Graingers (ackland grainger for us Northern folk) once every other month or so they have either a Grade 5 or Grade 8 kit on sale. Comes with 1000's of fasteners and a metal storage bin. Usually runs around $400 but I figure its worth it. If I am building from the ground up I can see at least $250 on one vehicle.
     
  17. OldBuzzard
    Joined: Mar 8, 2008
    Posts: 878

    OldBuzzard

    Got a Tractor Supply near you? All normal sizes, Grade 2 (or whatever garden variety is), grade 5 & grade 8. Nuts, bolts, washers, lockwashers. All bulk, by weight.
     
  18. yeah,TSC is a great place for bolts..bought 2 1" number 8 pitch nuts for the rear of the quarter midget...total cost----- .80...yeah eighty cents..they sell by weight according to scrap prices....very few places even stocked a nut this big..and no one else had it in a 8 pitch.. one really coarse sucker
     
  19. flatheadpete
    Joined: Oct 29, 2003
    Posts: 10,478

    flatheadpete
    Member
    from Burton, MI

    I have a Fastenall account. Cash. No surprise bill at the end of the month. Not quite wholesale pricing at the level I buy but it is cheaper than retail.
     
  20. Boltdepot.com is where I got a set. Not cheap, but shipped right to the door. I didn't buy the slider rack, but should have. It's on my bday wish list for next month.
     
  21. Badfast
    Joined: Apr 5, 2005
    Posts: 41

    Badfast
    Member

    At the building supply center I run, I made sure I started carrying all sizes of grade 8 and 5 coarse and fine. It makes working on my projects very easy.
     
  22. TagMan
    Joined: Dec 12, 2002
    Posts: 6,294

    TagMan
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Several years ago I got sick & tired of running out to buy a couple of bolts every time I turned around, so I took a hundred bucks, visited my local Auveco dealer and bought nuts, bolts and lockwahsers of various lengths in both fine & coarse thread and in grade 5 & 8, by the box. When my stock runs low, I replenish it. Makes life a lot easier.
     
  23. Chaz
    Joined: Feb 24, 2004
    Posts: 5,016

    Chaz
    Member Emeritus

    [​IMG]
    I've got two of these cabinets full of bins of bolts. Everytime I have to buy a bolt I get a whole box.. The ones I dont immediately use I store in the bins.. After about 3 years I seldom have to "go to the store" to get a bolt anymore. One christmas I asked for "bolts" from santa. My wife, sister, and all my friends got me gift certificates at the hardware store and I bought about 200.00 worth of bolts.
     
  24. i always see the bins being sold at the swop meets and flea markets, start with a nice bin with lots of spaces put the basic stuff [1/4 through 1/2 nuts washers and some 3/4" through 1.5" bolts] and keep adding to it
     
  25. oldcarfart
    Joined: Apr 12, 2005
    Posts: 1,436

    oldcarfart
    Member


    Nope, just money <grin>, I have saved hardware from last 10-12 parts cars it's a cheap way to accumulate and also gives you the oddball bolts, studs, etc.
     
  26. I Drag
    Joined: Apr 11, 2007
    Posts: 883

    I Drag
    Member

    On my trips for hardware, I always buy at least twice what I need (sometimes 5x). I still have to make trips to the store, but not as many or as often.

    Whole boxes are too expensive for me.
     
  27. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 33,861

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    A lot of the ag supply stores have "bulk bolts" you buy them by the pound and can mix and match. The local place has grade 5 and that is good enough 90% of the time.

    Figure out what you want to spend at the time and fll a sack or box up with the number of pounds of mixed bolts that it takes to reach that dollar amount.

    Cat equipment has a good assortment of grade 8 bolts but you need to know what you want.
    Lawson fasteners "True Torque" bolts are probably the best in the regular market but you pay dearly for them. But worth hunting out for critical applications.

    Again around this area which is primarily a farming area I have seen AG equipment dealers have great deals on bolt bins with bolts in their parts departments.

    Learn the sizes. All fasteners are measured by the size of the shank and not the size of wrench they take no matter what the guys in the Army tell you.

    a simple size chart for standard bolts is

    1/4 inch takes a 7/16 wrench
    5/16 takes a 1/2 wrench
    3/8 takes a 9/16 wrench
    7/16 takes a 5/8 wrench while some 1/16 nuts use a 11/16 wrench.
    1/2 takes a 3/4 wrench

    Bolt length is measured by the length of the round part and the head isn't included.

    Those are the ones we reach for and have to figure out every day.
     
  28. hoggyrubber
    Joined: Aug 30, 2008
    Posts: 572

    hoggyrubber
    Member

    they have those cheap plastic gages that tell size of bolt and nut. and the nuts it will even tell if it's fine or coarse. you can also just measure the bolt diam and use a thread gage, little trickier to do on nuts.
     
  29. 51 BIRD
    Joined: Jan 5, 2010
    Posts: 436

    51 BIRD
    Member

    When it comes to subjects like this,everybody has a preference based on past experience. I like this place: http://www.sherco-auto.com/sap.htm
    Get on his weekly email specials list. You'll see why
     
  30. stanlow69
    Joined: Feb 21, 2010
    Posts: 7,348

    stanlow69
    Member Emeritus

    Bought an oddball sized #14 pan head (phillips head) machined threaded (25) for 3 dollars at FASTENAL last week. Oh yeah-- they had to special order them. Would of bought more in different lengths if I knew they were that affordable. Try 90 cents a piece at the hardware store. If they even have them.
     

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