Bolts!

[Jetaway]

Thanks all, especially Lazeum for the bolt diagrams (a little late for me on the front end, but will be _very_ handy when I shift my tack to the rear!), and Mike for BelMetric. A couple others suggested the McMaster-Carr site, which was very informative regarding grades and terminology.

I plan on replacing any fastener that can be sourced with a replacement. I read long ago, and have no reason to doubt, that threaded fasteners lose some of their gripping power with each use, sometimes (as designed) destructively, but always some portion between substantial and trivial. A fender working loose is an annoyance, a strut separating from the control arm is potential catastrophe.

Chris

[John Coffey]

OK... Metric bolts are rated by class, not grade. Class 10.9 is a typical strength for a lot of the suspension fasteners on the S30. Sizes are M8, M10, M12, and M14 with all having a 1.25 thread pitch except for the M14s which have a 1.5 pitch. Tacoma Screw Products (http://www.tacomascrew.com/) have the metric sizes listed above in class 10.9 with the 1.25p and 1.5p. You'll have to buy a box but you can then sell them individually to the members here over the next few years. When you take a Nissan bolt out, measure from the underside of the bolt head tot he end and that gives you "grip length". When you order the fasteners you specify the size of the bolt shank (M8, M10, etc.), the grip length in millimeters, and the thread pitch.

[John Coffey]

FYI... http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php/topic/98751-suspension-bolts-inventory

[Lazeum]

Thanks for the link, I wanted to put it (hence the last two lines on my previous post) but I wasn't able to edit the message

You're right we should say class for metric, not grade. I've already got this discussion somewhere

[Oiluj]

yep. Using "grade" was a brain-slip... I still "think" in inches//lbs. and have take a moment to convert to millimeters/kilograms...

[Brubaker]

My local Ace hardware has been an invaluable source for metric bolts, nuts, washers and screws, cadmium plated, stainless, zinc etc. You probably have one in Manteca you can bring your old ones to and match up. The nice thing is you can usually just buy one or two and not a whole box. For suspension make sure you get the proper strength class as John Coffey stated.

[LeonV]

My local Ace hardware has been an invaluable source for metric bolts, nuts, washers and screws, cadmium plated, stainless, zinc etc. You probably have one in Manteca you can bring your old ones to and match up. The nice thing is you can usually just buy one or two and not a whole box. For suspension make sure you get the proper strength class as John Coffey stated.

I'll second Ace Hardware. The one in Petaluma has a very nice selection of metric fasteners. I was also recommended Bowlin Equipment in Berkeley, apparently if they don't have it, it doesn't exist.

[Lazeum]

The suspension bolts are all fine thread pitch, they are not standard ones. Even in Europe, it is difficult to get.

On the ones with nuts, you can get regular threaded bolts with matching nuts but for the ones that goes on the body, you won't have much choice...

Torque on the bolts would have to be adjusted to match their new properties.