Have you noticed a quite dramatic decrease in the quality of nuts and bolts, post-covid? I've been calling them strippers - I've stripped/galled more fasteners in the past 2 years than in the previous 30. Seems like you have to chase the threads and use loctite on everything (less than ARP), even on grade 8. Anyone else notice this? OR Am I getting old/sloppy
I stay away from stainless hardware for that reason. I use stainless mainly on trim and non essential parts.
I like when the strippers repurpose the mask... Wait, you're talkin bolts? Oops. Yes. Quality across the board is sketchy at best. Hit n miss, but actually noticed this well before the rona entered the room.
It seems I've run into countless stories of new nuts and bolts not quite being SAE, but also not quite being Metric; I suspect it's all down to quality control issues at the overseas factories. This is exactly why my dad started stockpiling hardware back in the 90s; we were buying out auto-repair shops that were closing or moving, and picking up old-school Dorman hardware by the box from older friends who were downsizing their garages. Then at swap meets he'd be buying tubs full of old nuts and bolts and my brother and I were in charge of sorting them into bolt bins when we got back home. Fast forward to now, and essentially every fastener we'd ever need for a restoration or refurbishment is available somewhere in the shop and needs only minor cleaning from the grime of storage to be put back into service. I'll admit that in some cases like button head allen bolts, or countersunk screws that I'll resort to buying a box of modern hardware, but for the most part I stick with the original or older aftermarket. I'd recommend keeping an eye out for small repair shops closing down, or even when the local auto-parts store closes up due to competition from online and box stores; you can occasionally pickup dozens of boxes of new hardware for pennies on the dollar. Split up the expense between a few friends and it won't even cost much at all to you, and definitely saves loads of headaches from quality control issues in modern hardware.
I've pulled nuts and bolts off of pre 70s stuff at pullapart before. If I can't find what I was originally looking for, I hate to leave empty handed. When the guys look in my wheelbarrow, they just shake their heads, and tell me to just go on. I tell them to charge me something anyway. Too bad I haven't seen any 70s and back stuff there in a long time.
I didn’t expect this topic when I read the title... But, yea, most new hardware is crap. We deal with this where I work as well manufacturing construction equipment. We had a local supplier that we had dealt with for lots of years and their quality was typically pretty decent. Then, we changed to a more global supplier to save some money and have been fighting hardware ever since... And, even getting hardware has become an issue since the pandemic as well. We have been unable to ship equipment at times waiting on some bolt or nut.
Nuts and bolts?!? Damn... got the hand lotion out for nothing. I haven't noticed a change in fasteners per se. I have, however, noticed changes in the quality of other goods. I mean like some groceries and what not. Take this one brand of bread I used to buy for instance. One day in March 2020, three or four Karen's freak out on FB over some news they were too stupid or ill-informed to accept and start a chain reaction of stupid that results in a nationwide toilet paper and steel shortage. And on that same day... they just forgot how to fucking bake bread. I mean... could you imagine forgetting the recipe for... bread? I mean it's not like they've been baking it for a few millennia or anything! I've baked bread. It's not that hard. But NOOOOO. I pay my $4 for a loaf and when I get it home, it's dark on the outside with a swirl of raw dough in the middle. I mean, I could have overlooked it if it only happened once. And don't even get me started on Pop-Tarts! They forgot how to make those too! But somehow Corona got better. Not skunky anymore. So, that's a plus... but no. I haven't stripped any threads lately. Maybe you're just stronger than you think. Have there been any bursts of gamma radiation in your proximity? D'you get bit by any radioactive spiders? Is the light from our yellow sun giving you super powers? **slams fist on table** ANSWER ME, MUTANT!!!
Over the years I've kept quite a few nuts and bolts from parts cars and engines, etc. I have used McMaster-Carr also with good results. I do agree that lots of the hardware store pieces are not that great.
DAMN BUNCH OF DIRTY MINDED OLD MEN!!! I opened this thread because.... um.....because.... Oh, never mind.
I had to chemically strip my hood for the 41 PU last year. Never enter "strippers near Portland, OR" in your browser!
Uh having been out of touch with the wrench and losing my strength and feel, for tight,,,, indeed I have recently broken things because of gorilla tactics. Now, that's a run-on. Seriously have yet to buy new hardware. Will be picky when I do Thank you
stripped lots of cars..always took the hardware...nuts , bolts , srews , .grade 5 . grade 8 ..GM quality ..saved lots of trips to hardware stores....buckets of stuff...did i mention im a stripper...
It often amuses me Americans obsession with 'Made In America' like it is a confirmation of 100% quality. Also the inverse with 'Made in China' or Made in Taiwan' is instant poor quality
Some time ago I bought a shit-ton (official measure) of quality stainless machine screws, mostly for the shelving. I have more than I'll ever need in sizes like 10-32, 8-32, ¼-20 and more in slotted oval, phillips oval, a few round, pan head in slot and phillips, length ranges from ⅜ to 3". I even have like 5,000+ 2-56×⅛ and ¼. Look for an ad in the classifieds soon. I've had 3 out of thousands give me a little start grief, and all are 18-8. Stay tuned...
My most recent strip was one of the 8 "T-shaped" bold that holds the axles in my Ford 9' rear end. I bought those bolts & nuts from Moser thinking that would increase the probability that they are good quality but one nut galled itself to the bolt...can't understand why/how but it happened with very little force.
I have started to get aircraft hardware from aircraft spruce stuff is so much better. You need to get their catalog the web site is shitty last I tried
The Jalopy Journal
