Hey gang. Need some extra hands to haul the cab off and away so I'm spending the day cross-referencing the fixtures we have with what's readily available in the parts catalogs and cleaning what we have that doesn't seem to be readily available. I've got some questions so just quote the next portion with your answers on the reply.

1. Fixtures - Where do y'all go for a single screw, bolt, washer, lock washer, etc. when you're missing one or the few are rusted up? Do you scrap the original ones you've got and go with an all new set if you can't match it?

1A. Door hinge to cab bolts - Our parts catalog lists and shows a bolt that fits a 53-56 that looks similar but is a touch longer than what we'll need for our 51. Where can I find some new ones for ours?

2. I think I read somewhere that people are coating their screws or bolts (for anti rust, I would assume) before reassembly. If you're on that program, what do you use? Pros / cons?

3. Fender Welt - In the catalogs we have there are a few options: vinyl with the bead, rubber, and stainless. (Seen some pics of the bead used as a contrast - Wow.) What do you use and why? Pros / cons, tips / tricks, horror stories?

 

so, what is the objective?

original restore?
get parts from one of the vendors..

running and having fun?
get parts from the hardware store..

I like all my stuff to look the same.. so I replace em all.

fender welt.. same discussion, original or to taste..
| I don't use any on the green truck.. it would be a distraction.

anti-seize... no idea

Sam

 

We're trying to keep it all orginal. I guess I should also ask what vendors are everyone using, huh?

 

Well, mid fiftys has started a 48-52 line

Classic Haulers F-1 Parts - Home

Sam

 

This is another area of personal choice. Folks say if you don't use welting or anti rattle the truck will squeek and rattle - fooey. My PO had it EVERYWHERE even between the valance ends and fenders. It looks great for awhile then gets ratty - traps dirt and wax. I don't use it at all and I don't have a squeek or rattle anywhere (on the truck) You will need to use the OEM thick foan rubber welting on the inside of your front fenders though.

Like I said it's a matter of personal choice.

Just a word of lesson learned. I have come across many things - both on the truck and here at home - where the person who built it or fixed it last maintained the attitude that it would never ever again need to be disassembled, maintained, or refinished.

That type of thing is very frustrating because things do need to be worked on and taken apart from time to time. Rebuilt it strong and solid, but don't be overly anxious to make things on the truck PERMINENT when you reassemble it.

 

For a single fastener, I might go to my local Ace hardware, they have a good selection of std and specialty fasteners, also Northern Tool, Home Depot in the special fasteners drawers. If buying in quantity, My local industrial fastener house (they do sell small quantity as well just a long trip for a couple bolts), on line, or Grainger. I replace with new wherever possible.

 

On fasteners, I usually use plain steel grade 5. If you go with stainless, be careful if you are in a wet or salty area. Here in the rust belt, I have seen seroius galvanic corrosion issues where a stainless bolt is threaded into a plain steel part - the bolt lasts near forever, but the part starts to rust away fast where it contacts the bolt. And avoid using a plain steel nut on a stainless bolt unless you never want to remove the nut (same reason, galvanic corrosion).

If you are looking for a "totally original" look, you will have to get repro fasteners with the proper head markings, since the common ones will just have the normal grade markings. Also, many original fasteners were not "bright" as commonly available ones are. Phosphate coated or black oxide finishes were often used on the OEM fasteners, another case where repro fasteners might be used for a more "original" look. This is a reason some people apply coatings to the normal "bright" finish fasteners - to make them look more original.

As for coating the threads of the fasteners, some exposed threads were just painted along with everything else at the factory, so that is what I mostly do. Exposed threads that were normally not painted at the factory, I just brush on some semi flat black paint. You can also use a wax base rust preventive coating, just brush it on the threads. There are some special products made to coat threads to protect them from aggressive atmospheres and corrosion that do work well, but they are not readily available and can be pricey.

 

I used grade 8 nuts bolts and washers throughout my f1. Stainless is great but it will gall with out anti sieze compound and is not as strong as grade 8. No problems with rust either. I got mine a Tractor Supply store. They sell hardware by the pound not onesy twosey.

 

look at the totally stainless online catalog . they sell complete bed and body , driveline , and whatever you can envision , stainless bolt kits , hardened or otherwise .complete bed , body , and interior kit for my 53 runs 269 if remember right ......... and you can get them in a variety of head styles if your wanting to personalize it . they supply a lot of the mailorder peeps and others with the kits they sell i believe .

 

i'm sure glad someone mentioned galvanic reaction!!! not too many people understand this.might have to put together a thread on dissimilar products. way to go!!

 

Maybe your experiences with stainless are different, but I think the fears of Galvanic reaction are more theory blown out of proportion than an actual problem. There is always reaction from dissimilar metals, but I'm not convinced it's as serious as you guys are painting it to be. Not mixing metals on fasteners I'll give you - especially if they are zinc, but it's not going to eat your sheet metal like Martian Acid, otherwise your hoods would be falling apart from all the trim as well.

I've had stainless steel hardware on my truck for 6 years now and there is absolutely NO corrosion - at all - around those fasteners - accelerated or not.

If you are driving on consistently wet or or salted roads, then that is going to effect the sheet metal anyway. Your biggest offenders will be zinc coated hardware. And in that case the zinc on the hardware will eat off first.

 

Do not use stainless fasteners on exhaust manifolds , headers or any other area around extreme heat .

 

part of the bolts in my truck now are stainless as i have not ripped it apart obviously for a rebuild , and i have had no issues with galvanic reaction , corrosion , or anything else . and this truck as stu and tim can tell you when it's running sees it all including road salt ! yep i used anti sieze too . so personally i think the fears are unwarranted and until proven otherwise i'm not gonna let it hinder me . oh and papa joe too answer your question from the pm i went with the oe look indented head . nowas far as the heat and it's effect on stainless fasteners , such as the header bolts and heads i would be seriously interested in seeing proven data and or pics of why it will or wouldn't work ...................