cooperman Posted October 28, 2011 Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 so does any body know if on my engine build can i use stainless bolts on most things? now i know for things that dont matter like the rocker cover and things like that its ok. but what about things like the water pump housing? oil pump housing, sump pan. even things like mounting brackets? also well im at it stainless steel has a Coefficient Of Friction just over twice that of mild steel so do people use two times the torque on there stainless bolts? i can get hold of some thing like A2 70 stainless steel bolts that have strenths amlost the same as the listed toyota 4T class. im sure i should be able to match up the rest of them well im there as well. like the high tensile bolts there should be a stainless alternative. any body have any views on this? is there any thing i have missed? thanks andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maaaaark Posted October 28, 2011 Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 Stainless is my material of choice on my bike & i've dealt with the guy at the other end of this link quite a bit. Not the cheapest by any means, but by far the best i've found. You'll find technical info re stainless fasteners on this page - hope this helps? Cheerz, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bazz54 Posted October 28, 2011 Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 Although I can't offer an exact answer, I'm sure the issue of torque is more complex than just compensating for the coefficient of friction. Factors like loading and extension come in to play. What I do have experience of in regard to stainless steel fasteners is that of pickup or galling, i.e. the tendency of stainless steel parts to "friction weld" themselves together. This may not be relevant here, but it can be real problem; to avoid it you have to use either PTFE tape or a suitable lubricant on threads. Overall, I am not sure that going to stainless is a great idea on a standard engine. For cosmetic purposes, getting ordinary steel fasteners plated with nickel may be an idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slugster Posted October 28, 2011 Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 Stainless steel fixings have their uses, but I'd do a bit of research first before using them on your engine. I have always been told that stainless steel nuts and bolts should only be used on toilet seats, food prep areas and marine fittings. Another thing was Stainless bolts into nuts or a captive thread of a differing material can cause shearing owing to an effect called 'galling'. If using stainless bolts always use stainless nuts of the same grade. It is very tough material to work with and if you plan to cut any bolts to length make sure you have a good supply of hacksaw blades to hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperman Posted October 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 thanks for the info so far guys. keep it coming. have read up on galling already and it sounds like a ball ache. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CW Racing Posted October 28, 2011 Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 stainless should be fine on anything cosmetic. they do tend to gaul up in ally so lots of copper slip is good. i would use good high grade steel bolts for anything structural. nickel plate is good for high temp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alistair_GT Posted October 28, 2011 Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 (edited) As above, they're fine to use on anything that doesn't take a lot of load..the ones that use high tensile steel bolts. Everywhere apart from brakes, suspension, engine mounts etc. I've used them quite a lot, fine to use on stuff that gets hot as well - I've used them on my exhaust manifold and exhaust, just use copperslip. Edited October 28, 2011 by Alistair_GT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cooperman Posted October 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 ok well with what has been said i think i will just goe for it then. any thing that is not important i will change up. thanks guys. andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlasumm Posted October 28, 2011 Report Share Posted October 28, 2011 kellsport on ebay use to do stainless bolts for the head and sump on there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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