GregP

I've found a alternative to stainless fasteners I thought I'd pass along. Instead of using weak stainless (half the time they break when installing them, the rest of the time they break when you remove them) and having the stainless galling (sometimes even with the mess of using anti-sieze) I've started using Ultra-coated fasteners. The Ultracoat gives good corrosion protection (will pass a 1000 hr hot salt spray test), allows stronger alloy for the fasteners (you can get them in Grade 8), and looks like a dull stainless or natural aluminum. You can get them from McMaster-Carr online. Just thought I'd pass it on.

-Greg

Hot Duck

Thanks for the info! I'll keep it for future reference.

bouyhunter

I love Mcmaster-Carr. you can get ANYTHING from them. The weirdest, oddest, "where the hell do I find one of these" - they have it, and , next day shipping.

The Menace

I get many items through Mcmasters. I used thier stainless piano hinges for my engine hatches on the cat.

happy hours

I third (forth) McMaster Carr is top notch. I buy and look at alot of hardware type places for home and work and their website and ease/speed of ordering is best around. The coated fasteners are like any piece of hardware you gotta depend on the coater. But I also agree here are some stainless alloys that are total junk and they corrode or worse fail. In areas that I really care about an option is to pony up the $$ and get Mil Spec stainless hardware, that way you are sure about the alloy and the related strength etc. If anyone is interested I could email pdf files of the mil specs of most commonly used fastener types: hex head, pan head etc. The galvanic issues still remain though even with the Mil Spec.

Roger 1

I use them as well. Great service and I love their catalog. If you leave it in the bathroom, you can be assured that you will have a big red ring on your ass.

Lofty

The secrets out! There goes my business.....

Roger 1

There is always ARP for the critical applications.
Here

burtandnancy

Are they really "ultra" coated with something, or can they be polished?

GregP

ARP are fist rate, and have some special high strength stainless, but their sizes are pretty much limited to specific engine pieces (at least that's all I've found). They don't have stuff for the supension and driveline (like my 4-link), or little stuff like brackets and stuff on the boat.

-Greg