Thread: Followed Me Home, '33 Build

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Wayne, that is awesome work you've done. Since you guys are showing eye candy pics, I have a tech question for ya. When reassembling, after bolt heads get scarred up by tooling, do you guys just touch them up? Or, is it just a better practice to have your bolts and hardware coated with zinc, or even chrome?

Originally Posted by 40FordDeluxe

Wayne, that is awesome work you've done. Since you guys are showing eye candy pics, I have a tech question for ya. When reassembling, after bolt heads get scarred up by tooling, do you guys just touch them up? Or, is it just a better practice to have your bolts and hardware coated with zinc, or even chrome?

The bolts/washers/nuts on the chrome suspension components are chromed. For others on the bottom side I did them the same as the frame - two coats of epoxy primer, then finish coat black. After install I just had a bit of catalyzed single stage for touchup, but they really didn't bet scarred up much. Mine's a pure driver, and I live a bit over 1/2 mile back on a gravel road, so I was not going for so much eye candy approach on mine.

Originally Posted by rspears

The bolts/washers/nuts on the chrome suspension components are chromed. For others on the bottom side I did them the same as the frame - two coats of epoxy primer, then finish coat black. After install I just had a bit of catalyzed single stage for touchup, but they really didn't bet scarred up much. Mine's a pure driver, and I live a bit over 1/2 mile back on a gravel road, so I was not going for so much eye candy approach on mine.

Thanks. From now on on my builds I'm going to try to quit using poof cans and use real paint. I'm tired of the stuff looking crappy after assembly etc. So I'm trying to see what is working for others. Ryan.

Ryan, like Roger said all the bolts and nuts on the suspension are chrome, but on mine almost every other bolt and nut are Stainless Steel... i polished each and everyone. once polished they stay bright for life... makes it easy to clean.

Originally Posted by parkwood

Ryan, like Roger said all the bolts and nuts on the suspension are chrome, but on mine almost every other bolt and nut are Stainless Steel... i polished each and everyone. once polished they stay bright for life... makes it easy to clean.

I'll offer that the polished stainless steel bolts look good, but you want to be careful using them in high stress dynamic applications as their tensile strength characteristics are considerably different than carbon steel. In particular a SS bolt is subject to work hardening and failure in dynamic situations. A buddy used six big button head SS bolts polished to a high luster to hold his crank pulley on the front of the dampner, and after about six months of running found five of six broken and the pulley flopping around when he pulled off the road at a gathering. There's a reason OEM's don't use SS for things like wheel studs. Just be sure of your use and choose the material & tensile strength accordingly.

you got it Roger, nothing with stress on it.... don't want to have the shiny side upside one day...

Originally Posted by parkwood

you got it Roger, nothing with stress on it.... don't want to have the shiny side upside one day...

Isn't that the truth!!

Originally Posted by rspears

I'll offer that the polished stainless steel bolts look good, but you want to be careful using them in high stress dynamic applications as their tensile strength characteristics are considerably different than carbon steel. In particular a SS bolt is subject to work hardening and failure in dynamic situations.

Something we all need to be reminded about, thank you!