where can I get nuts and bolts

[rob07]

I need to buy various metric nuts and bolts of good car quality,like M6-M8 bolts,1.0 & 1.25 pitch,nuts and washers to suit and nyloc nuts etc.Main dealers for my make cant help as its too old and there are no specialists selling this stuff for my car either.All the car accesory shops seem to have gone and the crap sold in Halfords is in packets and not the sizes I need.

[sparkey]

I've used this guy:

http://www.a2stainless.co.uk/?username=stigfastene...

good service, but only stainless I think, so it depends what you need it for..

S..

[RichB]

We were discussing this only the other day http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

If you're near slough Apex Fasteners are good.

[Fastdruid]

For one or two then eBay is your best bet. All the commercial places either sell too many or have stupid postage costs. TBH mostly I get mine from eBay.

I've got a couple of places I know of in Birmingham and Tamworth but unless you're close no point in giving you the details!

Alternative is one if the many stands at the classic shows, kit car shows, bike shows etc. Always a stand selling alloy and stainless bolts.

[droopsnoot]

I've used Namrick in the past, a couple of their selection packs covered most of the stuff I needed for the Firenza. Mainly I tend to source from car shows now, for convenience.

[DocArbathnot]

I use these people

http://www.wrightsautosupplies.co.uk/

Very helpful people.

[Crafty_]

Another one: http://www.a2a4.com/

[v8250]

Do not buy cheapo' nuts and bolts from the likes of fleabay...they're structurally important components. Buy from a proper supplier who understands metal specs and apps :. buy from Namrick.

http://www.namrick.co.uk/

[Huntsman]

Crafty_ said:

Another one: http://www.a2a4.com/

Run by a bloke called Kevin .......he can talk the hind legs off a donkey.

[Crafty_]

you've met him too ?

Does he still have the shop or is he strictly mail order now? used to by handy to nip in and pick up whatever you needed.

[cpas]

I'm rebuilding a Land Rover and have bought loads of metric 8.8 zinc plated nuts bolts and washers from Screwfix. They are dirt cheap and you get packets of 50s and 100s which gives plenty for the job in hand.

[Hooli]

Huntsman said:

Crafty_ said:

Another one: http://www.a2a4.com/

Run by a bloke called Kevin .......he can talk the hind legs off a donkey.

Aye I shopped there a few when I had a Landy. I used to drive to Hove to get them & spend three hours talking

[richardgcs]

Harrogate tool and bolt 01423 525666 very helpful and sensible money

[droopsnoot]

And thinking back to the point sparkey alluded to, make sure you get the right stuff for the application. I picked up a couple of old classic mags at the weekend and read about people who'd done lovely restorations and "swapped all nuts, bolts and washers for stainless". I'm no expert on the subject having only read a small number of articles, but it's really not a good idea unless you understand the properties and requirements of each fastener. (Obviously I mean for important stuff like engine and drivetrain.)

My only criticism of the zinc plated stuff I got is that some of it now has a white coating on it, but I have to remember that's after fifteen years on the car. Stainless wouldn't suffer that, but isn't suitable for everything due to its different characteristics.

[SrMoreno]

droopsnoot said:

And thinking back to the point sparkey alluded to, make sure you get the right stuff for the application. I picked up a couple of old classic mags at the weekend and read about people who'd done lovely restorations and "swapped all nuts, bolts and washers for stainless". I'm no expert on the subject having only read a small number of articles, but it's really not a good idea unless you understand the properties and requirements of each fastener. (Obviously I mean for important stuff like engine and drivetrain.)

My only criticism of the zinc plated stuff I got is that some of it now has a white coating on it, but I have to remember that's after fifteen years on the car. Stainless wouldn't suffer that, but isn't suitable for everything due to its different characteristics.

My understanding was that you should never use stainless fasteners on mild steel components (and vice versa) due to the potential (pun intended) of accelerating corrosion.

[Fastdruid]

SrMoreno said:

droopsnoot said:

And thinking back to the point sparkey alluded to, make sure you get the right stuff for the application. I picked up a couple of old classic mags at the weekend and read about people who'd done lovely restorations and "swapped all nuts, bolts and washers for stainless". I'm no expert on the subject having only read a small number of articles, but it's really not a good idea unless you understand the properties and requirements of each fastener. (Obviously I mean for important stuff like engine and drivetrain.)

My only criticism of the zinc plated stuff I got is that some of it now has a white coating on it, but I have to remember that's after fifteen years on the car. Stainless wouldn't suffer that, but isn't suitable for everything due to its different characteristics.

My understanding was that you should never use stainless fasteners on mild steel components (and vice versa) due to the potential (pun intended) of accelerating corrosion.

More important not to use them in 'mission critical' applications (for example) on the brakes where normal SS isn't good enough (although there is an argument that an intact SS bolt is better than a half rusted through mild steel bolt )

[Gaspode]

Another vote for Namrick here. The guys at my local industrial fastenings supplier (GR Fasteners at Stonehouse) have always been really helpful.

[droopsnoot]

Yes, corrosion possibilities, as well as different stretch and shear characteristics, and probably a thousand other things. I was sent a document about it, but it was way too complex for light reading.

Another issue for some of us is lack of availability, some imperial sizes are just not made in suitable grades apparently.

[Gaspode]

AIUI, the rule of thumb is that most decent stockist sell grade 3 stainless, which is good for most non-critical applications. Cheap dress-up stuff is ungraded, and best avoided. For critical stuff you need Grade 7 - which can be hard to get hold of.

I've been using stainless fasteners on cars and motorcycles for over 25 years, I habitually replace any fastener as a matter of course. I've never had a stainless fastener fail, and I've never experienced any corrosion issues. But of course YMMV as they say...

[Fastdruid]

Personally apart from totally non-structural uses (bits of trim etc) I'd avoid anything that isn't marked as you don't have a clue what it is. The majority of the 'stainless' for sale out there is A2 and marked as such.

For critical stuff I either use OEM or equivalent, either BZP or unplated if required, one of the Carroll Smith books (I can't remember which one off the top of my head) goes into detail on all the markings, what they all mean and more importantly where you should use them.