Bolts, Bushings and other questions

[Johns 66]

Hi All,

Im redoing my front suspension and a few questions arose...I tried a search but did come up with anything, please forgive the noob questions.

Ook...I have the upper control arm taken apart and cleaned up ready for some epoxy....My question is related to the bushings....Im presuming that the bushing refer to the outside "Nut" that screws onto the shaft...am I correct? The rubber grease holder on the inside ( for lack of not knowing what they are actually called) on mine are pretty much toast. So how do I tell if the bushing( Nut) is bad...Mine seemed tight when I took it off and the shaft moved freely with no play side to side.

Is it a good idea to go ahead and replace the shaft and bushings???/the threads on my shaft are not worn or galled. I cleaned them up today and the nut threads easily on both ends of both shafts.


Now to the bolts....I know that they used grade 8 bolts according to the ones I took off the front suspension. Do these bolts degrade over time? I had to cut one bolt off that was rusted shut but the others came off with an impact...Again I cleaned these up and ran a thread chaser on both the bolts and nuts and they tighten up freely....Again how do I know the bolts are in good shape? How do I tell if they need to be replaced? Do they need to be replaced since they are over 50 years old or am I throwing good money after bad?

I am going back stock but with disc brakes at stock ride height and will be adding sway bars to the truck.


Lastly is a question about plating, specifically cadmium plating of the bolts. As best I can tell from the factory correct threads most of the bolts were a silver looking color or cadmium plated.....How well does cadmium plating last or is it really susceptible to rust? Is cad plating really expensive, do we have vendors on the board who do this? Or do you know someone who does

Does the door striker plates and hood hinges get cadmium plated as well?

I really do not want to buy stainless bolts and I haven't figured out how to paint a bolt and then install a body panel without cracking the paint on the bolt.

If this isn't in the right place Mods please move it to the correct spot.

Any help or information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
John

[Captainfab]

If the control arm shafts and bushings do not have obvious signs of wear, I would reassemble them with new rubber seals and grease zerks.

As for the bolts and nuts. I do know that the bolts can and will fatigue over time and can fail. One such item I have had personal experience with is the lower control arm u-bolts. I have had 2 of those fail before. Luckily I was in a parking lot and my driveway when they gave up. I always recommend replacing them originals with the larger u-bolts from the '73-'87's. You will have to drill out the holes in the crossmember.The peace of mind is worth it to me. With that said, for the minimal cost incurred, I would just replace all of the 'important' bolts and nuts.

I do not have experience with cadmium plating, only zinc plating. The zinc plating will dull and tarnish over time and with use and can rust if subject to harsh conditions. I'm not sure if cad plating would be more durable and resistant.

[Johns 66]

Originally Posted by Captainfab

If the control arm shafts and bushings do not have obvious signs of wear, I would reassemble them with new rubber seals and grease zerks.

As for the bolts and nuts. I do know that the bolts can and will fatigue over time and can fail. One such item I have had personal experience with is the lower control arm u-bolts. I have had 2 of those fail before. Luckily I was in a parking lot and my driveway when they gave up. I always recommend replacing them originals with the larger u-bolts from the '73-'87's. You will have to drill out the holes in the crossmember.The peace of mind is worth it to me. With that said, for the minimal cost incurred, I would just replace all of the 'important' bolts and nuts.

I do not have experience with cadmium plating, only zinc plating. The zinc plating will dull and tarnish over time and with use and can rust if subject to harsh conditions. I'm not sure if cad plating would be more durable and resistant.

Thanks John...do you happen to know what the bolts coating? was originally? From what I saw in the factory threads they appeared silverfish looking.

Also do you know a good vendor for grade 8 bolts?

[Captainfab]

No I do not know whether the factory used cad plating or clear zinc.

I purchase all of my bolts from Fastenal.

[60-66]

Plating on the bolts and nuts are going to be more, placement specific and year specific. Chassis bolts are either bare steal=natural or like a black phosphate. Some of the nuts are as well but some will be silver cad. Heres something to consider though. On an assembly line truck , the chassis was painted again covering up that plating with black paint. This was not an exact process so some plating was not covered with paint but black paint can be found on exhaust systems etc. Again sort of a plant thing. I know Janesville did this.

Body bolts , most are silver cadmium plated. Hood related hinges, latches and brackets are black/gray phosphate for 64-66s BUT some of the hood striker plates can be painted. The latch can be a combination of black and phosphate plated. Some of this is where it becomes more plant specific and nut bolt suppliers .

Start looking at the markings on the heads of like the body bolts. They should match . If the trucks has had any panel removed or replaced this normally gets changed.

I've had no issues with bolt fatigue but I'm not saying it wont happen. If this is a restoration and you want original bolts , a trip to the local junk yard or a parts truck really comes in handy, but again , head markings make the difference , then the placement of the bolts as theres several different styles of bolts on every truck for specific parts.

Also , common zink plating like you see on todays bolts is not what they used in 1966 but is an easier plating to get and still looks good. If you can find a good plater they can double dip them and they will last longer. Oiling the bolts helps them last longer on the plating or clear coating them.

All in all , a careful cleaning will tell you what it was plated with . Clean the bolt , dip it in acid , if it fizzes it was plated. If not , bare steel. Color is either bare, phosphate or cad.

[Johns 66]

Originally Posted by 60-66

Plating on the bolts and nuts are going to be more, placement specific and year specific. Chassis bolts are either bare steal=natural or like a black phosphate. Some of the nuts are as well but some will be silver cad. Heres something to consider though. On an assembly line truck , the chassis was painted again covering up that plating with black paint. This was not an exact process so some plating was not covered with paint but black paint can be found on exhaust systems etc. Again sort of a plant thing. I know Janesville did this.

Body bolts , most are silver cadmium plated. Hood related hinges, latches and brackets are black/gray phosphate for 64-66s BUT some of the hood striker plates can be painted. The latch can be a combination of black and phosphate plated. Some of this is where it becomes more plant specific and nut bolt suppliers .

Start looking at the markings on the heads of like the body bolts. They should match . If the trucks has had any panel removed or replaced this normally gets changed.

I've had no issues with bolt fatigue but I'm not saying it wont happen. If this is a restoration and you want original bolts , a trip to the local junk yard or a parts truck really comes in handy, but again , head markings make the difference , then the placement of the bolts as theres several different styles of bolts on every truck for specific parts.

Also , common zink plating like you see on todays bolts is not what they used in 1966 but is an easier plating to get and still looks good. If you can find a good plater they can double dip them and they will last longer. Oiling the bolts helps them last longer on the plating or clear coating them.

All in all , a careful cleaning will tell you what it was plated with . Clean the bolt , dip it in acid , if it fizzes it was plated. If not , bare steel. Color is either bare, phosphate or cad.

Thanks for the info Jon. Mainly I am working on the front suspension now....I have the cradle and both sets of A arms off and almost ready for epoxy. I do have to replace one cradle bolt because I had to cut the old one off. The remaining front suspension bolts I ran a thread chaser on both the bolts and nuts and they work fine without any binding.

I checked all the cradle bolts and they have the same head markings on them.

I am restoring my truck as best I can with a few modern touches...front discs and a 700R4 tranny, adding carpet, power steering and an Ash wood bed. The truck was originally a 3 speed but I changed to and automatic and got a 66 Auto column because it looks right.....My motor will still have the YS in front of the head but Im not trying to fool anyone with what Im doing.

I have looked at your trucks as much as I could to see the correct colors that things should be....Mike Remley also sent me some pictures for reference as well to help out.

My main concern on the coating of the bolts is for the front sheet metal, front fenders etc.....I plan on painting my truck apart so that's the reason for wanting to know about the bolt plating.

lastly my truck was built in Atlanta.