Hex bolts used under the hood

[TomoHawk]

Can you get those metric hex bolts with the phillips slot anywhere? The only thing I can get easily is zinc-plated hex head head machine screws. Those look nice, but aren't the original style, and the original ones rust easily.

thx

[hls30.com]

Try the dealer, if your local one has old stock they will match, otherwise, they will be more silver than golden.

Will

[ZSaint]

You must have a "screw" company somewhere close. Just take a sample in and buy a box. You can buy an entire box for what Nissan will charge you for 6 bolts!

[TomoHawk]

There are a few hardware stores and such near, but all they have is regular hex screws or screws with a phillips head.

The big question now is would a show judge notice the difference between regular hex screws and the oem screws?

[ZSaint]

You need a large nut & bolt supplier. We have Willamette Screw in Portland and Salem Screw in Salem. Either one of these places stock metric supplies. Lowes will not have them!

[TomoHawk]

ZSaint,

Again, I'm not looking for regular hex head machine screws that you can get at the local hardware store. The screws under the hood of an S30 have a hex head AND a slot for a phillips drive.

These screws are used to attach the coil to the fender, fuel filter bracket to fender, carbon cann to mount, all the hard brake & fuel lines to the bodyframe, emmissions coontrols to the intake, heat shields near the exhaust manifold, and many other uses. There must be about 50 or so of these under the hood, and they're all rusting because they're uncoated steel.

Home Depot had some- of the wrong ones.

[webdawg1]

Have you given any thought to using "Stainless Steel" bolts/screws?? Never ever rust again that's for sure.....

webdawg1

[xray]

I can't fully recall, but Restoration Stainless might have something like that in their engine bay packet, or whatever name it goes by. Their site is www.zcarcreations.com

good luck, Steve

edit: Here's a link to their EBay store:

http://stores.ebay.com/Restoration-Stainless

[TomoHawk]

I have the engine kit from them. I looked at the "underhood bolt kit," and while the fasteners have the right threads, but the heads aren't right- just plain hex heads, AFAIK.

Maybe they can get you the right ones.

[ZSaint]

Hawk: I know that our suppliers have a full complement of metric bolts of most kinds. I do not know if they have the phillips headed hex bolts like we use on the Z. They will look in their books and see. If they do not have them, they can order them. I found that after getting the right bolts and having them plated, they really stick out when the hood is down. I guess that is why Datsun painted them! They don't show!

[ezzzzzzz]

I pull hardware from later model cars at the salvage yard. You can usually find a good assortment to meet your needs and match the original hardware closely if not dead on.

[texasz]

ZSaint,

Again, I'm not looking for regular hex head machine screws that you can get at the local hardware store. The screws under the hood of an S30 have a hex head AND a slot for a phillips drive.

These screws are used to attach the coil to the fender, fuel filter bracket to fender, carbon cann to mount, all the hard brake & fuel lines to the bodyframe, emmissions coontrols to the intake, heat shields near the exhaust manifold, and many other uses. There must be about 50 or so of these under the hood, and they're all rusting because they're uncoated steel.

Home Depot had some- of the wrong ones.

TomoHawk, you are not listening. Lowe's and Home Depot are not the kinds of stores you should be shopping at, nor are Ace Hardware, Manard's, or ANY other hardware store!!! You need to either check out the dealership, a specialty Z place as you already have, or go to a nut & bolt house. Even then you may find it difficult to source the exact part you want. The nut & bolt house is your BEST bet though I think. Believe me, I have already gone down this road a few times, and not just with the Z with things like weedeaters that use a left-hand thread in an odd metric size, etc.

Look in the phone book, talk to some people, just find the nut & bolt house(s) in your area and pay them a visit with an example of what you need in hand and they will help you locate it. Should there not be such a place in your area, and in a large city like you are I'd be shocked, then your next best choice is to find such places on the internet.