Hi,
What size is the bolt that hold the caliper bracket on? I don't mean hex size, like if I need to go to a hardware store and get one (or an auto parts store) what size do I ask for? Need quickly- i am missing one on one side of my truck.
thx,
brian

 

That bolt is keeping your caliper in place when braking. It's not one that you want to risk replacing with a substandard one. For both your safety and that 6-year old walking on the side of the road to school, get the right one from a junkyard or go to the dealer for it.

 

called the auto parts store and they were helpless. The dealer isn't doing anything for me this evening - parts department is closed. I need to replace it immediately (as in today/tonight)...
Advance Auto steered me toward the hardware store (?)
isn't it something one can buy at an auto parts store?

 

Nope, it's considered a specialty item.

BTW, how did you lose it?

 

yeah they say it's "case hardened."
You know, I don't know. I did my own brakes, had to take the brackets off to smack the bejeezus out of the rotors to get them off. I put everything back together, and I cranked like hell to make sure they were back together. I had to use some pretty extreme heat to get everything off, including these bolts, but I don't think that would have compromised them. It was about 17 degrees when i put the bolt back in, it's since changed from that to 70+ degrees, back down to near zero, and up to 30 degrees. maybe the change in temp?

 

The best you could probably do is take the other one out, and head to a hardware store and see if they have something that would fix you up. Make sure you get the threads right, and the length to. A lot of specialty bolts like that you're not going to find in the bolt bins at a hardware store, but you might get lucky. You'll have better luck if you go to a mom and pop type store (or maybe an ace, I usually have good luck there) than if you try to go to a big box like home depot or something.

And do yourself and everyone else a favor and don't skimp on it. Get a grade-8 bolt, even if it's expensive.

 

I needed one for a friends Explorer and we took one to the hardware store to match up and had no problems finding one the same hardness. It will be metric and will us a designation like 8.8 stamped on the head to denote the hardness. I would use loctite red (removable) when reinstalling the bolts as you will notice there is a thread locking coating on the original bolts.