Inliners International Forums General Discussion Body & Paint fastener packs

As I tear the body of my 53 P/U apart, it becomes increasingly clear that I will need lots of replacement fasteners. Any leads to sources of restoration quality fastener packs would be appreciated.

John,

Have you tried Totally Stainless ?

Dear Mr. Schluter;

Try to use as many of the orginal ones as possible, especialy the core support and radiator mounting hardware.

This stuff is often made 'offshore' so you need to be carefull.

Mr. Hoyt's link is okay but probably expensive.

Good luck.

Looked at Totally Stainless and they seem to know their metallurgy-not just the right words. And it probably is expensive, but I haven't rin into much that isn't up to now. This truck was someone else's project and I've found metric, SAE and every other possibility in it so far. I'm thinking of using stainless but I want to select the correct stainless steel for the application instead of just getting the whole pack in 303/304 stainless steel. Then I can use a blackening agent to permanently color them black. And you're right about the counterfiet stuff. Alot of these fasteners don't meet the appropriate specifications. Hard to develop trust these days.

I'm not sure what comes in the "packs" sold by Totally Stainless, but they do sell 17-4PH fasteners, which are much stronger than 303/304, and should be used on joints where safety is important. McMaster-Carr also sells 17-4PH fasteners - much more expensive than Totally Stainless, but they can come with a "pedigree", if that is important. It certainly is in the aircraft industry.

I'm gonna talk to both Jim Tucker and Totally Stainless about their SS fasteners to see what they actually market. The body bolts/screws won't require much in the way of mechanical properties, so it is just a matter of finding restoration quality fasteners. Langdon sells an engine accessory fastener pack that I definitely need more info on. Don't need any generators, starters, distributors, etc. falling off in fatigue. At least the forum gave me some contacts and can sort through the offerings to find the fastener mechanical properties I need. for each application.

"Totally Stainless" sells complete packs for engine and body detailing in 3 styles of bolt and screw heads.Prices range to over $200 for a complete body kit down to $20-$30 for an engine kit. There are many "Totally Stainless" jobbers on EBay that undercut their prices a little, but make it up on shipping.Their kits are also sold by many aftermarket catalog dealers.If you're in the area of Gettysburg,PA, although they are not actually in GBurg proper,you can pick up a pre-order and save shipping.Not sure, but I think Langdons are from them also.