Dzus Fastner Tips, Dragster Panels

If you use Dzus Fasteners , don't buy the aluminum type, buy the steel one unless you are a light weight manic. If you are, lose 5 lbs. If you can't turn the fastener with a quarter with your fingers, the spring wire is too deep or the button is too short. The wrench tool will slip out of the button slot, which will put a deep ugly scratch on your paint job or anodized panel. Button length can be confusing. To attach a single panel, .062'' thickness, I used a .425 tall spring wire with a .550 Grip Flat Button. For two .062 panels going together, use .600 Grip. I used the .650 grip for overlaping painted panels. Go to www.chassisshop.com to shop for Dzus fastener stuff, page 25 on their online catalog. For paint job protection, go to www.fullborerace,com and get some Part Number 231, Teflon Button Washers. Can also be used for spacers if the Dzus buttons are too long, since you brought the wrong grip depth or in areas on you Dragster where you have moving parts and you don't want metal to metal contact. Highly recommended ! If anyone has more input on this subject, lets hear it.

 

Here's an easy to make countersink tool for Dzus fasteners.



A view of what it can do.



Couple of nice things about the tool is:
Doesn't cost $30. or more.
Doesn't require hammering and a backstop - which can be difficult in some areas.
A drill press and some simple measuring will do it.

1" OD aluminum and 3/8" bolt & nut.

It will countersink in steel using a FH phillips bolt, but better is a flathead allen.

Don't mix and match stainless and regular bolt steel.
They gall.

Better to use regular steel bolts and nuts.

A touch of oil on the threads, none required on the sheet metal.


You should be able to figure it out from the pics.

If not, there's a tech article on it, search for Dzus and you should be able to find it.

 

excelent thread thanks , by the way i use plastic fasteners ,and yes im a
weight maniac (sprints) but also use plastic on customer cars while in my shop
they tend to minimize paint damage .c

 

Dzus are also available with butterfly turn built in rather than the slots when you have a panel that is either hidden or hard to get at to unlatch.

 

While you're on www.fullborerace.com you might as well order some of their hex head fasteners ,and a couple of the little wrenches to install them. These will not slip and ruin your paint. I've used these for years , and have'nt scratched anything , great product !!

 

i used tons of dzus's & never had a problem . i used self ejecting type . i also have used the butterfly type on our drag bike as it was required for N2O . had lots of them in the service with no problems also . air planes are full of dzus's ! ... steve

 

I tried to use the captured ones under the car so that if not in place it's easy to notice.

 

We must be on the same wave length.

 

Keep your hole diameter as small as possible, if the hole is too generous and you are aligning panels to set a button the button will go on an angle between spring and hole and just one side of the dzus will catch the spring and that side of the button will break off.
SPE sells a very nice machined tool wrench for the buttons.
I reccommend the full-bore allen socket type for serious work as you can use your allen wrench to guide the button on missaligned holes and not worry about sending a screwdriver thru painted panels.
Those teflon washers are worth their weight in gold.
To locate the button i weld the receiver plate, with the spring installed i set a dzus button (countersunk type) that i welded a raised dimple in the middle of the button that i had sharpened to a point (maybe 1/8 tall or less, just a little point) and set my aluminum panel over it a give it a tap with my small plastic nobounce and it'll tranfer the dimple into the aluminum. Thats where you drill your hole.
Theres a ton of different springs, different lengths and heights. Just like everything else about this sport, it is way more complicated than it should be.

 

Back when I was running my fuel funnybike, we always had a problem of the rivits getting loose and allowing the DZUS seat to move around, damaging the paint. We finally just cut the tabs off it, sanded it into a smooth circle, and took the entire assembly out whenever we popped a DZUS open. It didn't mar the paint, didn't cost anything, and all you had to do was not lose the fastener.