I love factory bolts
 

I try to reuse them whenever I can. They have so much character. While I could easily find a functional replacement for the bolt below, it just wouldn't be the same.

Re: I love factory bolts
 

I prefer to do the same most of the time, have quite a few coffee cans full of OE bolts just waiting to be wire brushed when needed.

Re: I love factory bolts
 

I've replated essentially all the factory bolts on my current blazer build. I've been meaning to post a thread depicting the various makers marks used by GM. There are some very cool examples and all seem to have class above the lack luster plain new pieces.

Here are some pieces I got back today.

Re: I love factory bolts
 

Here are two examples.

Re: I love factory bolts
 

One of my favorite assembly line stories has to do with factory bolts:

On the squarebodies, the attachment of the front fender "nose bolts" to the rad support was especially tough, because it was blind and had awkward access. As a result we would cross thread the bolts often or (worse) break the weld nuts loose. Once you do that it can't be fixed on the moving repair line; it has to go into a stationary stall for repair.

We discovered that there were two suppliers for a bolt that same size: One from Lang Fasteners and one from Ferndale Fasteners. The Langs would crossthread like crazy but the Ferndales wouldn't for some unknown reason, maybe because of the difference in coatings. The Langs (part number 3846202, btw!) were black phosphate but the Ferndales were silver cadmium.

What we ended up doing was stealing a box of the silver bolts from Line 2 and run them all night with no issues, and then lock them up in our locker, set out a box of black bolts on the job and then go home.

We did that for several years. First shift could never figure out why we didn't crossthread those bolts and why they had a mess on their hands every day.

K

Re: I love factory bolts
 

That story is rich! Cool to hear such stories.

I love my factory bolts, too, and save them like gems. I especially love the tapered tip you don't get with generic bolts. Really helps when bolted "aligned" parts. Helps guide them in. I just like them put together the same as factory since they did such a great job the first time around.

Re: I love factory bolts
 

I replated a lot of my own little hardware for my truck restoration. I used the zing plating kit from Eastwood, and it worked pretty well!

If you have bolts you want to preserve I've cleaned them up on the wire wheel and then replated them, and it turns out pretty well, though it's time consuming!

Re: I love factory bolts
 

Pockets full from every pick n pull trip

Re: I love factory bolts
 

I though a cross threaded bolt had like three times the holding power of a properly threaded bolt. Its like using thread locker with a lock washer topped off with a spot weld:) Why get rid of that?

Re: I love factory bolts
 

In a previous life I spun wrenches on big bore CAT engines. Now I have a five gallon bucket of mostly 3/8" bolts from Caterpillar. Best darn bolts on the planet. But I'm all about reusing factory fasteners otherwise.

Re: I love factory bolts
 

Because they would hit torque prematurely without providing clamp load, or they would break the weld nut loose in that condition and spin freely and rattle.

In either case someone buying a new truck deserves better than that (especially if they ever plan on taking that fender off).

K

Re: I love factory bolts
 

speaking of using oem bolts.... how do i clean my buckets full with my sand blasting cabinet?

Re: I love factory bolts
 

Mike try soaking some in Evaporust - you'll be surprised at how nice they'll turn out without having to replate.

Re: I love factory bolts
 

That's what I do most of the time. They turn out great unless they are so rusted that I probably shouldn't use them.