47-55.1 Bolts and Nuts

[TravisC]

Does anyone have a list of all the bolts and nuts that are required to put back together a 1950's Chevy truck. I bought my truck in pieces and no hardware came with it, but i would prefer new hardware anyway.
I just today received the 1947-54 Chevy Truck Assembly Manual, but it is not very helpful, most of the diagrams are of the 54 with the bullet nose.
and I did not see a list of the bolt sizes anywhere.
i know you can buy "kits" of the bolts, but I would like to get them thru Bolt Depot or Tractor Supply.
Also I am going with the S-10 Swap so all I would need as far as fasteners is for the body.

Thanks,
Travis

[joedoh]

I used to buy the kits and then supplement it with various trips to homer derpo. now I just buy bulk boxes of 5/16th bolts, 3/4 and 1" lengths, with bulk boxes of nuts and washers. its a lot cheaper.

[1project2many]

now I just buy bulk boxes of 5/16th bolts, 3/4 and 1" lengths, with bulk boxes of nuts and washers. its a lot cheaper.

Just curious... Ever check to see how that compares to buying by weight at Tractor Supply?

[TravisC]

Thanks,
joedoh
So 5/16" is the size to go with.
It will be a while before I get this truck started, I still have to find an extended cab S-10 and get that stripped down, luckly I have a few friends that build Streetrods, they said they will help, when I am ready.

[mick53]

I bought a complete set of every bolt and screw on my 53 3100 body. Even things like window felt screws and glove box screws. All packaged and labeled. You can pick out what style head you want. I bought polished stainless but they are available in plain steel. It's the little stuff that will drive you nuts. No pun intended.

[joedoh]

buy taps and chase threads if you go with stainless, stainless gets grabby in rusty steel inserts and likes to snap.

[MiraclePieCo]

Classic Parts carries pre-packaged and labeled bolt kits for every part of a Chevy truck; front clip, bed, cab, etc. Go to their web page, enter the year of your truck and search "bolt kit"

https://www.classicparts.com/

Originally Posted by joedoh

buy taps and chase threads if you go with stainless, stainless gets grabby in rusty steel inserts and likes to snap.

No more stainless for me, ever! Too many bad experiences with brand new hardware galling.

[mr48chev]

I've done pretty much as Joedoe said and went to the local ag supply house and bought bolts by the pound out of the bulk bins. Or go to Ace and buy their bulk bolts in the sizes you think you will need.

That is IF having the correct original style bolt head isn't an issue. If you are building a hot rod or custom truck it might not be an issue but if you are shooting for a showroom stock restoration you need to hunt down the correct bolts. I'm somewhere in between in that I want certain bolts that show to be "correct" as the bolts under the hood that hold the fender to the inner fender and the latch panel to the core support but as long as they are the correct diameter and length the bolts under the fenders that are out of sight will be bulk bin items.

I'd have to say that buying bolts with the correct lengths so only a couple of threads are exposed on the other side of the nut is something one wants to pay attention to though. It looks rater crude to see a half inch or more of threads sticking out of a nut after everything is tight. You may never have the truck in a white glove judged show but it doesn't take that much effort to make even the hidden things look just a bit better.

[mick53]

Originally Posted by MiraclePieCo

Classic Parts carries pre-packaged and labeled bolt kits for every part of a Chevy truck; front clip, bed, cab, etc. Go to their web page, enter the year of your truck and search "bolt kit"

https://www.classicparts.com/



No more stainless for me, ever! Too many bad experiences with brand new hardware galling.

I use a nickle anti-seize on everything. It's silver color. I couldn't find a kit for the chassis, blower rear end steering box and such. I buy those at ace bit by bit that way it's not so painful. sometimes I have to cut them or make them for things like the steering box. polishing them is a pain but at least my thumb is shiney.

[1project2many]

No more stainless for me, ever! Too many bad experiences with brand new hardware galling.

Not sure how many folks are aware of this but many inexpensive stainless bolts are of questionable quality. It's important to look at your stainless fasteners to ensure they meet hardness and tensile strength standards. Bolts marked F593 are among the hardest meeting ASTM standards and are much less likely to gall.

http://www.indfast.org/info/free-tec...0vs%20F593.pdf

[mick53]

Originally Posted by 1project2many

Not sure how many folks are aware of this but many inexpensive stainless bolts are of questionable quality. It's important to look at your stainless fasteners to ensure they meet hardness and tensile strength standards. Bolts marked F593 are among the hardest meeting ASTM standards and are much less likely to gall.

http://www.indfast.org/info/free-tec...0vs%20F593.pdf

Anything important I get through Totally Stainless and call them first to check on grade.

[MARTINSR]

[MIKESAD50]

I bought mostly from Fastenal and used Stainless and Grade8 on some suspension.
I went Fastenal because some Stainless galled and locked up after one install and had to break/cut them to get apart. I have had no issues with Fastenal products, other than price and they aren't open on weekends

[1project2many]

Brian, glad to see I'm not the only one who appreciates that. I used to have an illustration of the same thing.

This picture is a stainless bolt that I keep now. I like to send the new shop helpers to the toolbox with it to see if they can find a wrench to fit.

[MARTINSR]

OMG that is wild, where did you get that?

Brian

[Roadkill58]

Bolt Depot.com. Not to be confused with wire depot.com.

All kinds of bolts, nuts, washers. You can buy in bulk.

.

[1project2many]

OMG that is wild, where did you get that?

A friend had a wooden box full of them but he never would tell me where he'd acquired the box. I believe it came from the city water department. Municipal water equipment uses five point fasteners.

[dsraven]

yep, seen that 5 sided thing before on water suppy apparatus. fire hydrants are common as well. it's so joe schmoe can't get access to a utility that is metered, like fill your water truck for free, and also to keep "stuff" out of manholes and meter basins etc.

[dsraven]

here is a quick read on the fastener quality and different grades of stainless fasteners. I have found stainless fasteners from the local hardware store are soft and really just for decorative areas with not much stress, like the bolts used to hold a fender on. I wouldn't use them on something like the footpegs on my dirt bike, lol. they seem to break off easily or, if using allen heads, the heads strip off quick, especially when trying to remove a bolt.
don't use stainless to hold aluminum. 2 rights will make a wrong here. the 2 dissimilar metals corrode over time when in contact with each other. try getting those fasteners off later, lol.

[dsraven]

didn't like the first round, try this.

https://www.albanycountyfasteners.co...als-s/1129.htm

[MARTINSR]

All I know is DO NOT get chromed bolts, they don't hold up.

Brian

[MD2020]

I bought all the bed bolts, nuts and washers (use the SAE washers) from here cheep.

https://marineboltsupply.com/Type-18...E-Flat-Washers