Stainless bolts??

[jzilla]

Is it ok to go with stainless bolts for attaching the inner and outer fenders to the truck?? I figure those two parts don't need anything too strong? This is for my BJ to FJ60 build.
Thanks!

 

[Ron R]

To my knowledge no problem at all!
However, stainless is far more expensive...double or triple is no exception.

 

[Eric Winkworth]

I just bought some for my BJ70 fenders, I figured one less things to rust!

 

[blis]

Just keep in mind that stainless combined with normal steel will corrode, quickly... but that concerns only clean surfaces, not painted ones...

 

[jzilla]

The stainless will corrode? Pacific fasteners stainless stuff is half the price of the steel bolts at Rona or the parts store. Thought maybe I would just replace the exposed ones in the wheelwell perhaps.

 

[Jan-78FJ40]

Just keep in mind that stainless combined with normal steel will corrode, quickly... but that concerns only clean surfaces, not painted ones...

Not true, unless you add current and a conductor. It's an urban legend that different metals on cars corrode at the contact points. It's a problem on boats.
J

 

[Dougal]

Not true, unless you add current and a conductor. It's an urban legend that different metals on cars corrode at the contact points. It's a problem on boats.
J

The conductor is moisture, the current comes from the corrosion itself (rust is a battery).
I have never had a problem with stainless bolts on aluminium and steel, but we don't have salt on the roads here.

 

[valdezhilander]

I’ve had a lot of experience with stainless fasteners in the marine industry. There are a couple things to keep in mind. First don’t run them in/out with an impact gun, the threads will gall and the bolt will seize, try to only use hand tools, secondly if you can get it they make anti-seize for stainless fasteners, this helps prevent the galling and keeps them from corroding and seizing to the nut or threads. Also, if the road crews use any salt or deicer on the roads in winter it will cause corrosion between the fasteners, it doesn’t matter if your 3000 miles from the ocean, the chemical reaction is the same. Personally I avoid stainless fasteners unless it is absolutely necessary, like under water, it’s generally more expensive and when it does seize up it is much harder to remove, they tend to snap off.

Just my two cents.

 

[wongtsenhin]

Personally, I like stainless steel bolt onto my cruiser. Here is some photos on my fender.

 

[haryv]

galvanic corrosion

I learned this while serving in the USAF. It is called dissimilar or galvanic corrosion. Keep the metal separated with a corrosion resistant paint or some kind of barrier.

Also, do not over torqe stainless bolts/nuts. The threads will galley and it will lock up the bolt/nut to the point, it will have to be cut off.

Not true, unless you add current and a conductor. It's an urban legend that different metals on cars corrode at the contact points. It's a problem on boats.
J

 

[kevcruiser]

I've been in the car wash business for a few years...Stainless is very prone to galling with stainless, not so much with ol' fashioned steel. Stainless into aluminum (or visa versa) is a definite no-no. Lots of dissimilar corrosion. I use a "Loctite thread sealant When working with stainless. Helps prevent corrosion and galling....

 

[Dougal]

I use food-grade grease on all the 316/304 stainless bolts I use in my food handling machinery. Without it around 30% of bolts will seize no matter how careful you are.
If you don't have any food grade requirements then any lubricant will do.

 

[eleblanc]

Very good advise here, i would have said the same. SS bolt and nut seize easily.

I’ve had a lot of experience with stainless fasteners in the marine industry. There are a couple things to keep in mind. First don’t run them in/out with an impact gun, the threads will gall and the bolt will seize, try to only use hand tools, secondly if you can get it they make anti-seize for stainless fasteners, this helps prevent the galling and keeps them from corroding and seizing to the nut or threads. Also, if the road crews use any salt or deicer on the roads in winter it will cause corrosion between the fasteners, it doesn’t matter if your 3000 miles from the ocean, the chemical reaction is the same. Personally I avoid stainless fasteners unless it is absolutely necessary, like under water, it’s generally more expensive and when it does seize up it is much harder to remove, they tend to snap off.

Just my two cents.

 

[Fromage]

I have this loctite stuff, comes in a tube like those UHU glue sticks, it's specifically designed for stainless fasteners, you put it on and it keeps them from galling and seizing up. It works great! I got it through Loctite's engineering support people.

 

[jzilla]

Thanks for all the answers!

 

[Otterav]

Stainless is the single quickest way to cause corrosion to the immediate and surrounding contact areas. Galvanic corrosion is how it works. No matter how well painted, or greased eventually the corrosion will occur. Why do you think hardware is zinc plated, the zinc is sacrificial. The P.O. of my cruiser replaced a bunch of hood hardware with SS, when I removed it the areas under the washers and drilled factory holes had pin point rust holes poking through the paint. The only way to prevent corrosion is to eliminate water from the metal contact surfaces, paint or grease will work as long as it is intact.

 

[lostmarbles]

...I have never had a problem with stainless bolts on aluminium and steel, but we don't have salt on the roads here.

x 2

There's some exaggeration here.

Aluminium joinery is typically secured with stainless fasteners. Heck.... even my aluminium-framed shower door is held together with stainless self-tappers. (Sure. I admit there's a little bit of white-powder corrosion around the fasteners in the shower door frame after 20 years but that's nothing to worry about and much less corrosion than I'd expect to see if they had been zinc-plated steel instead.)

Furthermore, I used to work on refrigerated containers that get covered in salt spray when stored as deck-cargo. And all the fasteners for the access panels on these containers were stainless to prevent them from seizing from corrosion.
Edit: And all those access panels were aluminium.

Obviously I wouldn't use stainless for cylinderhead bolts or engine mounting bolts because they can't take as much tension. But I've got them holding my radiator fan to my waterpump, in my hood hinges, in my door hinges, and probably loads of other places.Edit: And Toyota was happy to use stainless screws on my steel panels. Aren't my factory-fitted windscreen hinge screws stainless for instance?

My 2c.

 

[Otterav]

Galvanic corrosion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[123456]

Stainless bolts always seem to be a pain in the ass to undo .

 

[jzilla]

Will be sticking with steel, maybe some stainless washers though haha