nuts and bolts??

speedy · 06-10-2003, 02:52 PM

Hello.....I have taken my 81 sc apart for a proper paint job. I labeled everything so it would be easy to reassemble......well my labels came off the bags and now I am in a nut and bolts nightmere! I have the pet programme and the bently manual and the factory manaul on cd (crappy copy). all of these books are vague on what size bolts goes where, they just say bolt or nut in most cases. I have most of the car back together but I am worried that some are incorrect. any suggestions?????
thanks
speedy

john70t · 06-10-2003, 03:32 PM

I ran into the same thing recently, except the painters also stopped working and trashed all the primer. They also "lost" most of the door/sunroof hardware (those..&**&#$@....nice guys).

Get the $80 TiNi tap set from Harbor Freight. It only goes down to 6M so you'll have to get 5M and 4M taps as well.
If you carefully run a tap through the threads, there's less concern with: cross-threading and having to drill/tap/thread insert, hole cut and weld nut, cram big screw in and hope it stays.

I'd also suggest waiting a couple months for the paint to fully cure before putting together the precision hardware that you may need to give a little correction to to assemble.

Work wet with the treads-silicone spray doesn't damage paint but is hell for the next painter, WD-40 is petrolium based and may disolve fresh paint etc...

Formerly Steve Wilkinson · 06-10-2003, 04:18 PM

Whoa! Retap everything just because some labels came off some bags??? Those metric threads and sizes are all called out in a variety of places, if you have any idea how to read the PET.

Stephan

Harlan Chinn · Harlan Chinn's Garage

Locate another SC in around your area and use it for comparision or find a restoration guy to help you sort through your hardware. I recently had my car repainted and had similar issues with some of the hardware. I will be in Vancouver/Richmond this weekend, if you still need some help.

BGCarrera32 · 06-11-2003, 09:30 AM

And...

Take the whole mess somewhere and get it replated first.
Always nice to reassemble with essentially new hardware...

john70t · 06-11-2003, 10:25 AM

Sorry my last post wasn't clear.

The tap was to be used to cut the lip of paint that has accumulated around the holes and is covering the top threads. This, I think, would be preferable to having the paint chip or crossthreading.

If worked slowly, the tap will either follow the threads(correct pitch) or not. The tap number will show the bolt size that the assembly person is trying to find. The number and size can then be matched up to the cleaned bolts laid out on a table or for ordering new hardware.

Superman · 06-11-2003, 11:01 AM

Chasing threads is a very good idea after coatings have been applied. If you don't then the fastener will usually refuse to be turned with fingers. This will sometimes result in having to use a box wrench, 1/12 of a turn per engagement, for perhaps twenty full turns. Save time. Chase threads.

As for proper fastener locations, just use the fastener that seems to work. This is what I've always done, and as a bonus I usually end up with a small basket of leftover fasteners.

911pcars · 06-11-2003, 11:40 AM

Do not dump them all into a bucket for plating yet. ID them first, otherwise you will have the beginnings of a basket-case engine that no one will want to work on.

If you have the fasteners separated and bagged, but not labeled, take a digital photo of that group and post it here. If this audience can't ID their application/location based on fastener size, length, type and number, then I've lost faith in our collective experience.

Make it a contest. Some of us get bored answering the same questions. This will be a challenge and make the world a better place to live.

Sherwood Lee
http://members.rennlist.org/911pcars