7 replies to this topic

[lj72bathurst]

Weekend helped a mate take out the heaterbox as the
Motor died. About 2 years ago he fitted all stainless nuts and bolts from ebay. The bolts all welded them selves together. The worst was the three long bolts on fan cover. Every single bolt we had to brake or grind to get off what a shit of a job. I told him to replace every stainless bolt on thr car with standard bolts.
Just a warning to others with those stainless bolts.
Cheers Jason

[grumpy xu1]

If you had have lubricated them properly,they'd come apart easy. 316 on itself will bind. Just use a really good amount of anti sieze nickel coat. I've used it on hundreds of stainless steel bolts & nuts. Pig fat is good aswell.

[lj72bathurst]

He didn’t lubricate them so maybe that was the problem.
We looked everywhere and couldn’t get the 3 long bolts for the fan cover but luckily he had old original ones and we used them again.

[grumpy xu1]

100% that was the problem, you won't usually get them tight, before they have bound up, without being lubed up.

[sibhs]

I never new you had to lubricate them first. Last year I undid some stainless bolts that had only been tight for a few weeks, Most of them bound up and snapped. I presumed it was because they were Bunnings quality.

Thanks for the info guys. 

 

Marty

[grumpy xu1]

316 stainless upon itself is the worst 1. Use either anti seize "nickel coat" or if you want something clear, in the boats we used to use pig fat, which is as simple as buying supafry, like you can cook with, it's like $5 for a block of it. I keep it in the toolbox.

[LJ RB30]

Yes 316 on 316 stainless has a tendency to pick up on itself, if you use a 304 nut on a 316 bolt you will have a lesser chance of it happening
Stainless is not much harder than a standard mild steel bolt & it work hardens with EVERYTHING you do to it.

DO NOT use power tools on stainless if you ever want to undo it again & still want a 2 piece nut & bolt assembly as opposed to a lovely friction welded frustrating mess!

Oh & never use stainless on suspension, steering or critical parts on your vehicles.

[grumpy xu1]

If you use lubricant & i mean drown it in nickel coat, you can wizz them up with a cordless gun, I've seen it done hundreds of times in a washplant. I went to 1 for 6 years, we pulled them apart every 2 weeks, replaced the stainless bolts & nuts 3 times in that time. But as you say they were only holding a screen together. They had to be 316 because it's covered in water for like 22 hours per day. Lubricant is your only friend with stainless. At the end of the day, a nut & bolt is only for securing something together, not pulling it together, that's where the most damage is done.