Hi all,

My 1960 F100 is getting closer to the assembly stage. I'm just short of shooting the color coats on the straightened sheetmetal.
What have you guys used in your restorations to assemble the front-end sheetmetal? The fine-thread bolts I took apart in the teardown were all rusty so I know they didn't have much of a rustproof coating on them originally. I also understand that the fasteners we can buy at the hardware stores aren't really a "rustproof" fastener. I've seen and used fasteners that had a heavy plating of zinc on them though and they look pretty course too.
Were the original fasteners black oxide coated or something similar?
I am planning on painting the cab with doors assembled but the fenders, hood, front apron will be all separate.

Thanks,

Nick in WI

 

You have put a great deal of hard work into restoring your ride, it seems to me that I would only use stainless steel hardware if at all possible. I am just starting on my truck restoration, but I see that there is a lot of difference in the prices of SS hardware. I was at the f100 super nationals last week. There was a SS hardware vendor there. His prices looked pretty good. Fastenall is expensive. I did see a complete SS hardware package customized for our trucks for about $300 some where on line a couple of weeks ago, but can't find it again. I don't know if that is expensive or not. But to have an set of hardware labeled and packaged would save a lot of trips to the store and a lot of not having the correct nut or bolt. What do you all think, or what have you done?

 

I used Totally Stainless and was very happy with the product. I did paint everything separately and assembled with the stainless hardware. Every bolt was in a plastic bag and was labeled. They all fit and really make a nice finish. Here is there website: Totally Stainless Page 59 on their online catalog has the stuff for our trucks. You can also call them and get only the bolts you need, i.e. bolts needed to assemble the front end.

On a side note, there is an ell shaped rubber bracket that connects the front end to the cab (one on each side). I never found this anywhere. What I used was a piece of conveyor belt from tractor supply. Worked great..FYI

 

Are you talking about the pieces between the inner fenders and the firewall? If so, I used the same stuff with some big washers.

 

I'm using Totally Stainless also. Just starting my re-assembalage so
I can't vouch for every thing however it is nice to have them in labeled packages. I did notice that they only supplied half of the required door hinge bolts. Just those that show, I suppose. I guess I'll try to find some conveyor belt material (possibly old tire sidewall) the original straps are a little haggard looking.

 

Yes, mine were shot and unusable.

 

Hi all,

Thanks for the replies. To tell you the truth, I never thought about stainless bolts. I was really stuck on dupllicating what the factory installed... I used all stainless fasteners on the engine though - bought them as a kit from a supplier that I don't recall right now.
I'm pretty sure I'm going the stainless route on the sheetmetal fasteners. It takes care of a multitude of issues with painted bolts for sure!

Thanks again,

Nick in WI

 

If you know the sizes/types you need you can order from Mcmaster-Carr. I don't have the different sizes/locations otherwise I would pull up some prices for them.

 

Having now used several portions of the prepackaged set from totally stainless, for what ever reasons some bolts are missing or the wrong thread pitch. I have ended up making trips to the local hardware store for more stainless nuts and bolts.
So at this point if you are like me and like to always have extra hardware handy. I would make a list of common sizes and purchase bulk. For the same money you would end up with plenty.

 

I like to use original bolts. I usually clean them all up and poke them in some cardboard and paint the heads black. I also do this with engine bolts when I assemble an engine.

 

That's just what I do as well. I also keep an eye out when I go to junk yards and pick up stray bolts where folks have pulled stuff out before me. I think they really add to the look. After I painted them I put them in zip locks and labled them, then thumb tacked the to the wall waiting to be installed. It really made assembly that much easier.

However, if you break them when you take them out this is not an option. I always try to spray them with PB Blaster and a little patience and I seldom break any.

 

Hi guys,

I was talking to a bodyshop guy this past weekend about this subject. He does very high quality work - has one in the works for Amelia Island or Pebble Beach right now. He painted one of Leno's cars as well.
He mentioned to me that if I do go the route of stainless, he recommended a lubricant meant for stainless fasteners, made by Loctite. Apparently when torquing, the stainless will basically stick to itself which I've seen when trying to undo a nut/bolt combo that's been tightened. Just didn't realize why it was so hard to unscrew.
He also mentioned that a lot of the early vehicle fasteners were just black oxide coated. They would resist rust but would eventually get rusty. On the cars that he restores, often he uses factory style fasteners because the owners will be pampering their rides and they'll see a minimum of water long term.
His last hint was that he likes to sand off the modern bolt markings on the stainless bolt heads. He then burnishes them on a wire wheel to give them a nice looking finish.
Just food for thought this morning.

Nick in WI

 

Hi all,

Just following up on this post from June. I went the normal stainless way with a kit from Totally Stainless. Cost a little over $200.
I got a new catalog in my shipment box and found that they offer black, original style stainless fasteners too. Their literature states that these original style fasteners are reproduced in stainless and treated to a permanent black finish. They make them for the customer who wants the restored look without the rust.
They are definitely more money but i bet they would look really nice on a restored truck!

Later,

Nick in WI

 

The front end fasteners werent black oxide...I think GM used that type...Ford used the grayish color plating which when new looks really pretty..look at the undersides of the fender washers used when you pull it apart and you will see what I mean. Occasionally you might find one that had undercoating..those are the best...
I wouldnt go with stainless if you are going for total accuracy...way too shiny IMO...plus alot spendy...I imagine the desert SW has lots of old FoMoCo products with nice clean fasteners looking to be saved...
As for removal of originals...PB Blaster or similar, a good wire brush or two and 6 point sockets in 1/2 and 3/8" drives as well as the appropriate box end wrenches in 6 point.


- cs65

 

That's interesting on the factory color info. My truck baked in the Arizona desert for 40 years before sitting in the WI weather for another 8. It then got stripped down to the last nut and bolt in my garage. Most of my fasteners came loose but some had to be torched off. Everything had a coat of rust so not much color was left, especially on the fasteners.
My truck will be the stock red and i'm going to burnish the bolt heads on the fasteners that are visible- mainly the ones that attach the inner fender to the outer fenders, core support, etc.