Stainless steel screws/nuts

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Harold
Posts: 781
Joined: Tue May 19, 2009 9:46 pm
Location: Wiltshire

Stainless steel screws/nuts

Post by Harold »

Hello chaps,

I'd like to buy a big mixed set of various stainless steel screws/bolts with sizes relevant to the mk2, but I have no idea what all this m10 x 10 business is all about. As I'd like to be able to replace the horrible rusty screws I come across with nice new shiny ones, can anyone recommend a set or what sizes would be most common?
For example, i know that one of the screws that holds the undertray covering the oil filter on is rusty and stuck on like a xxxxxx and really needs to come off.

Thanks muchly.
Slarty
Posts: 4224
Joined: Thu Oct 26, 2006 3:52 pm
Location: Barking, Essex

Re: Stainless steel screws/nuts

Post by Slarty »

Hmmm it's almost impossible to answer your question! Toyota (as with most other auto manufacturer) use different size and length threads for different applications.

Toyota are quite difficult in that they use "odd" sized threads quite often. By that, I mean non standard sizes.

To explain, and partly answer your question. A thread has three important measurements. The diameter, the pitch and the length.

Taking an example of M10x1.5x100

The diameter is the outside diameter of the thread. So for an M10, it's M(metric), 10 mm.
The pitch, 1.5. This refers to the distance between the threads, be it the top or the bottom, it's the same.
The length. This can differ slightly, but mainly it's the length of the bolt from the under side of the head of the bolt to the end of the bolt. If you have a bolt that has a section of un-threaded bolt, this is still included in the overall length.

So in my example, it would be a bolt with a 10mm diameter thread, with a pitch of 1.5 and an overall length of 100mm.

Where it becomes difficult is that Toyota sometimes use bolts/threads of a finer pitch. A standard M10 (just for example) has a pitch of 1.5mm between threads, but Toyota sometimes use a fine thread which has a 1.25mm pitch.

The only real way to replace all your bolts is to remove each one and measure it (for length and diameter use a set of verniers, and for pitch use a thread gauge) and purchase a direct replacement.

Hopefully that's given you a little insight into how a thread is explained. Any questions feel free to ask and I'll try to explain (it's a bit tricky though!).
Harold
Posts: 781
Joined: Tue May 19, 2009 9:46 pm
Location: Wiltshire

Re: Stainless steel screws/nuts

Post by Harold »

Thank you for your most comprehensive and educational reply, I am now enlightened in the ways of the screw.:thumleft:

Looks like I'll have to get my verniers out and order some replacements.
mr2magic
Posts: 643
Joined: Fri Apr 09, 2010 9:33 am
Location: Hannover, Germany

Re: Stainless steel screws/nuts

Post by mr2magic »

Also be careful when replacing normal screws with stainless...this will in no way prevent corrosion in fact it will increase the speed at which the surrounding metal (normal steel) corrodes due to electrolysis.
asdrewq
Posts: 401
Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2008 10:51 am
Location: Ulverston

Re: Stainless steel screws/nuts

Post by asdrewq »

You won't increase the corrosion around the bolt, the bolt will just NOT corrode, and besides that's only really applicable if the bolt and the surface are submerged in a common corrosive medium, eg seawater, in which case a galvanised bolt would perhaps be preferable as the zinc would reduce galvanically in preference to the steel (google sacrificial anode) and bolts are easy to replace..

On these damn cars the biggest pain is snapped bolts from years of winters so absolutely go ahead and replace with stainless, however be wary of the differing strength bolts used throughout the car and the fact stainless is more brittle - do not use, for example, on load bearing suspension components.

To start you off I can offer insight into the following, all of which I have replaced with A4-80 stainless (tensile strength equilavent to std steel bolts grade 8.8 ) and all of which are 'standard' pitch bolts available easily:

M6

undertray bolts
Brake line 'P' clamps
brake hose brackets front
Front wing/slam bracket mounting bolts
various in and around engine bay (rocker cover, throttle body, spark plug tidy, exhaust heatshields)
rear exhast hangars
abs sesnor brackets


M8

brake line>hose bracket
Various around engine bay
Subframe - Exhaust hangar, resonator, ARB mounts

Thats aall I can think of at the moment.
brgbrm
Posts: 681
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 5:55 pm
Location: Sussex

Re: Stainless steel screws/nuts

Post by brgbrm »

That was really interesting slarty, thanks.
jules70
Posts: 42
Joined: Mon Aug 10, 2009 9:14 pm
Location: Isle of Wight

Re: Stainless steel screws/nuts

Post by jules70 »

Some very good replies - cheers. I was thinking of doing the same as Harold.
SFLee
Posts: 1152
Joined: Wed Dec 15, 2004 12:29 am

Re: Stainless steel screws/nuts

Post by SFLee »

ebay sell some hex bolt kit for gt4 and mr2

like these

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3SGTE-MR2-GT4-SW2 ... 33683f46bb
abovetherim
Posts: 594
Joined: Wed Feb 16, 2011 8:49 pm
Location: Leicester

Re: Stainless steel screws/nuts

Post by abovetherim »

I use these guys
http://www.allscrewed-up.co.uk/
Fortunately i live in leics where they are so i can walk in with an example and walk out with the right thing. Great people!!
Recently i went in to replace the countersunk fine thread m6 bolt with the cross head for the water pump. Got a hex bit head ss bolt for 10p (usually min spend of a quid but they were in a good mood)
regards
Jan
RST
Posts: 2889
Joined: Fri Dec 29, 2006 1:02 pm
Location: Inverness, Scotland

Re: Stainless steel screws/nuts

Post by RST »

Harold,

You can get reasonably priced bolt / screw job packs from Halfords -they sell them in small misc sized trays. BUT they're not great quality and not much sizes in each pocket, I go to my local industrial supplies centre -it has a bodyshop counter there and it sells packs of fasteners in all manner of sizes and finishes. Costs a few quid more bit having stripped and re-built the odd car over the last couple of years what I have left is still useful and it's OEM quality at least -you get what you pay for I guess. I know my counter will ship stuff out but they don't have an on-line catalogue so not much use I guess. Maybe best finding your local bodyshop counter, I've seen full kits sold for the same price as just a few screws on EBay so far.

For example, i know that one of the screws that holds the undertray covering the oil filter on is rusty and stuck on like a xxxxxx and really needs to come off.


...for stuff like that (undertrays), just drill out stubs if they break, re-tap them and use a £1 bolt pack from BnQ, you'll have to take them out at least once (maybe twice) a year anyway to change the filter so if you stick new regular bolts in with plenty of copperslip it isn't an issue because they're in and out so often.
brgbrm
Posts: 681
Joined: Wed Oct 19, 2005 5:55 pm
Location: Sussex

Re: Stainless steel screws/nuts

Post by brgbrm »

These are good too, in Brighton, Sussex and online:

http://www.namrick.co.uk/
ryan
Posts: 2628
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 6:09 pm
Location: Abergavenny,South Wales

Re: Stainless steel screws/nuts

Post by ryan »

Good luck, ive just replaced (nearly) all my undertray screws, and have all 7 undertrays back on! I still have 2 that need drilling out!
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