Wolfy Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 Hey Folks, Do you guys keep imperial or go to metric (where feasible) on your WW2 rebuilds? I now have my 42 Jeep project and I usually swap nuts and bolts on my projects for stainless steel where strength isnt a concern. As I am all tooled up for metric I plan on swapping most to this but will avoid the blue nylocs. I know many die hards will keep imperial which is cool, just curious to see what most are doing these days. :thumbsup: Colt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirhc Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 You can get imperial nuts and bolts in stainless, I'd keep it as original as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 Do you guys keep imperial or go to metric (where feasible) on your WW2 rebuilds? :shake::shake::shake::shake::shake::shake: No, no, no :nono: Colt, you will have bolts that do not fit holes correctly, giving chance of movement, miss alignment, etc. Never know which spanner to use, get National Coarse nuts and bolts mixed with metric, if dismantling at anytime. Put these thoughts out of your head and stick to the appropriate threads for the vehicle..........unless of couse it is a Land Rover 90/110, where they still used BSF, Unified and Metric. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G506 Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 Colt, I'm with Richard on this one, stick with what it's meant to have, and avoid metric at all costs. UNF and UNC are still readily available, but if you have problems tracking them down I can give you some supplier names. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woa2 Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 My vehicles were built with UNF, UNC and Whitworth bolts. I have managed to keep it original, except for the cup square bolts which hold the body to the chassis, which I have had to go to metric. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willyslancs Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 our jeep was rebuilt using mainy original bolts (filled the f s off some off the bolts as ours is a willys, still got some left for next one . ).......not into nylocs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfy Posted September 22, 2009 Author Share Posted September 22, 2009 Thanks Guys, Very interesting, I hadnt anticipated such a strong 'for' argument for Imperial. I did buy a set of imperial ring spanners today so its a step in the right direction. Could someone post or pm some suppliers if possible so I can do some costings. Cheers Colt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirhc Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Look in the yellow pages for fastners suppliers. You might find the smaller back street ones are much more helpful. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G506 Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 Thanks Guys, Very interesting, I hadnt anticipated such a strong 'for' argument for Imperial. I did buy a set of imperial ring spanners today so its a step in the right direction. Could someone post or pm some suppliers if possible so I can do some costings. Cheers Colt Colt, what part of the country are you in? Cheers G506 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormin Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 Harder to obtain and as a result quite often a lot more expensive that's what I've found with imperial as opposed to metric. What are peoples views on using zinc plated bolts on WWII stuff? Were all original bolts plain black finish? Makes sense in this day and age to use plated were available for corrosion protection. Seeing as most seem to be painted over anyway who's going to know the difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 American fasteners were generally cadmium plated, an excellent anti-corrosion treatment. Harder to get done today as it is a very toxic metal. It is a little duller and whiter than bright zinc though the latter does oxidise slightly over time. Dull nickel looks similar but is less hard wearing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon_M Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 I don't buy anything other than UNF / UNC for my trucks unless they are really impossible to find. Even then I've been known to buy metric and re-thread it. You can find almost any UNF or UNC thread, but there are a few exceptions, such as wingnuts and coach bolts. 7/16" stuff normally has to be bought and re-threaded, and there is one sub-1/4" UNF size that is impossible - either 10 or 12 gauge - I forget which. That size is common on WW2 Dodges, especially doors, locks, bodywork, and rear window winders on Carryalls. I learned over the years to take all my vehicles apart with a gas torch, and in extreme cases to sacrifice fittings to retrieve fasteners of a pattern that you can't get any more. E-Bay for nuts, bolts, taps, dies, spanners - you name it. Gordon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 You can buy the harder to find small sizes from aviation outlets as no. 6 to 12 are still standard. They are expensive though! Another option is the hardware section of Amazon USA. Not all sellers will dispatch to the UK but you can find most things there for US sizes. BSF is getting harder now but there is still a lot about if you look hard enough. I pride myself on almost never needing to dismantle with the gas. It is unusual for me to not be able to at least save the bolt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 I pride myself on almost never needing to dismantle with the gas. It is unusual for me to not be able to at least save the bolt. Same here, Adrian. Using heat can often cause more problems to the thread. Patience and a good release fluid........I am stripping a vehicle now, and considering it is 67 years old and been out of use for about 40 years, I have only had to drill out a few awkward ones so far. All BSF too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stefano Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 UNF/UNC? Ha!!, piece of cake. My Morris CD/SW engine had been in a field for 30 years and every fastener had rusted to hell. And what did Morris use? Metric Threads (thank you Hotchkiss) with Whit hexagons (thank you Lord Nuffield). Had to make every single bolt (and more than a few nuts) from scratch using imperial bar. Marvellous.... I suppose that it made the Germans happy though, seeing as they were the main end users. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfy Posted September 23, 2009 Author Share Posted September 23, 2009 Colt,what part of the country are you in? Cheers G506 I'm in South Oxfordshire, between Maidenhead and Reading. Some good responses guys thanks. Colt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Barrell Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 UNF/UNC? Ha!!, piece of cake. My Morris CD/SW engine had been in a field for 30 years and every fastener had rusted to hell. And what did Morris use? Metric Threads (thank you Hotchkiss) with Whit hexagons (thank you Lord Nuffield). Had to make every single bolt (and more than a few nuts) from scratch using imperial bar. Marvellous.... I suppose that it made the Germans happy though, seeing as they were the main end users. Stefano, you obviously like a challenge! If it were easy, everybody would do it....:-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony B Posted September 24, 2009 Share Posted September 24, 2009 Invest in a good quality thread file! The buissness for salvaging old bolts! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enigma Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 Dodge bolts have a logo (DPCD), I like to have as many as possible on the vehicle. Hard to obtain though. Kinda like the "F" on the Ford jeep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Warne Posted September 28, 2009 Share Posted September 28, 2009 I always try to save originals wherever possible, but for my jeep I used Jeepparts (in Belgium if I recall) for their repro EC marked bolts. For other non-metric bolts, for the Half-track for example, I use Namrick. Very helpful staff, good prices and fast despatch. http://www.namrick.co.uk/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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