Replacing corroded bolts

[thor1340]

Hi Guys, where is the best place to buy bolts/bolt kit to replace the corroded bolts on the front of the engine of my 10 plate GSA?

Thanks in advance.

Stuart

 

[fizzer]

www.shawstainless.co.uk/

 

[Deleted account 190920002]

Well I just went to an ordinary engineering supplies workshop and never paid that kind of silly money. I think for the alternator cover all the bolts cost me less than a fiver, £13 quid for bar bolts wow are they magnesium?

 

[ymfb]

depending upon whereabouts in Cheshire you are there are a number of places in Stoke on Trent including

FWB Products
Britannia Fasteners
Paramount fixings

 

[Bendy toy]

Also Pugh & Sanders in Burton on Trent.
But unprotected stainless can cause rapid alloy corrosion. High solids copper grease shorts out the galvanic effect. Marine greases such as Duralac act as insulators.
I used copper washers and copper grease on mine.
It lubes the threads do don't overtighten.

 

[TLSgazza]

It lubes the threads do don't overtighten.

Make your mind up , is it "do" or "don't"

 

[Deleted account 200502001]

The local fasteners place i visited would only sell bags of at least 100 x of each bolt! Bloody bastids!

 

[cookie]

The local fasteners place i visited would only sell bags of at least 100 x of each bolt! Bloody bastids!

that is not the case with my local suppliers, thank gawd.

 

[Bendy toy]

Make your mind up , is it "do" or "don't"

It's a stutter - blame the iPhone.

The local fasteners place i visited would only sell bags of at least 100 x of each bolt! Bloody bastids!

Pugh & Sanders will send orders by post and there's always eBay.

 

[thor1340]

So are we saying No to stainless steel or to just use loads of copper slip?

Maybe I will just get the wire wool out.

 

[Deleted account 200502001]

I had the same concerns when replacing bolts on my LR Defender. You have to consider the risk of corrosive reaction from the stainless steel bolt contacting with the metal/aluminium bodywork, whether the bot requires high tensile qualities, what grading of SS bolt etc etc. A simple sounding idea turns into a head scratcher! I dipped my stainless bolts in ACF50 paste, but that will wear off with weather over time.

 

[Deleted account 190920002]

Well the risks must be small as I serviced gutting and processing machines constructed with ally and stainless steel. Over the years I found the only heavy corrosion on these machines which used salt sea water was caused by operators not rinsing / cleaning with fresh water after shifts. Never had probs dismantling case covers etc which were ally fastened with ss bolts or screws.

 

[Bendy toy]

Google "galvanic corrosion".
http://www.bssa.org.uk/topics.php?article=89
http://www.npl.co.uk/upload/pdf/bimetallic_20071105114556.pdf
Zinc aluminium and iron are adjacent on the table so there is almost no battery effect.
However the potential difference between aluminium and stainless steel is about 10x what is considered acceptable for harsh environments. Winter roads are almost as bad as a marine environment.
Aluminium in direct contact with stainless steel will corrode. If you are lucky it's just cosmetic but aluminium oxide expands so if salt gets into the threads the oxide will seize bolt threads. Stainless has poor tensile strength so shears off easily. It's also a nightmare to drill so good luck if you get that problem.
My understanding is that copper effectively shorts out the ST-Al battery effect. I've used copper washers and copper grease to hopefully avoid any problems.