Stainless Bolts = Weak

[justleft]

This especially true for the boating game.

I had no idea !

http://reviews.ebay.com/Stainless-Bolts-Usually-very-weak_W0QQugidZ10000000001623345

[gcarter]

Yep, all true. But thankfully boats are a pretty low stress environment for fasteners. And if your're still concerned, just oversize a bit.
You obviously don't want to assemble your engine with SST fasteners, but you can use them for all the low stress areas like manifolds, covers, mounts, etc......you know, where it matters in a boat.

[Pismo]

It's all about grade, just like chain. The grade of the steel is by far the most important element in strength. Cheap low grade stainless is weak, good high grade stainless is very strong. Same is true of regular steel bolts, chain, whatever.

[BigGrizzly]

Pismo is correct. There are over 400 different types of stainless steel. The higher the strength usually means more iron/carbon and more rust and magnet attractiveness. A grade 8 is a grade 8. Make no mistake the cheap home depo bolts are not strong. I am going to quit describing because this discussion will be endless. However this is good information

[zimm17]

Yep, all true. But thankfully boats are a pretty low stress environment for fasteners. And if your're still concerned, just oversize a bit.
You obviously don't want to assemble your engine with SST fasteners, but you can use them for all the low stress areas like manifolds, covers, mounts, etc......you know, where it matters in a boat.


ARP fasteners are stainless and are used in race engines. I think they are some of the best bolts made. We're mostly talking about using hardware store stainless bolts- they are very soft and I wouldn't use them on an engine either. I use cadium plated grade 8 for bolting things to the engine such as brackets. I also make sure they are painted over for protection.

[BigGrizzly]

Most of Summit Arp is grade 5 or better. the exhaust SS studs I got from them are grade 8, but cost is high.

[MOP]

I used the stainless hardware kit from "Totally Stainless" on mine when it went together, I have -0- plain steel on the engine. Totally Stainless was and still maybe the only company licensed to use the ARP name on the engine kits. Google them they have a good write up on the various types and uses of their products.

Phil

[smokediver]

I know there was a huge batch of phony grade 8 stainless bolts on the market a few years back ... Our ladder truck had about 6 of them where the platform mounts to the turntable on the bottom ... not good ! our mechanic found them luckily and did a little looking into why they were there ... Supposedly , millions of chinese bolts were shipped in as being grde 8 but they are really junk ....