i just reuse the stock bolts since i cant run the RCA's in STR.

 

Hey Imran, I just recognized this was your screen name due to your signature machine gun question style, lol.

Generally unmarked bolts are not a good idea to put anywhere on a car for racing - you have no idea what kind of strength they have and usually they don't have much. I'd guess they're probably fine, but I totally understand why he played it safe with actual graded bolts and I would have done the same.

I have never heard of a bolt with locking teeth, that doesn't even make sense. Lock washers are the normal way to lock a bolted assembly so that vibration doesn't back off the bolt.
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Hi Jon, yes sir, LOL! You got me, I like to ask lots of questions haha...but that's impressive, you are good!

That's good to know...I didn't realize that they could really be weaker, and was thinking why add weight everywhere with heavier hardware. In general, what's the minimum stamped grade/material you would look for on any bolts you use on the car for racing?

Edit: I saw in another thread you answered this same question, with grade 8 or at least grade 5, rather than stainless. Does this mean stainless wouldn't be available in those grades and would have to just go with mild steel or whatever the material is?
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lol.

Grade 5/8 are the two that you should use for this kind of stuff. I usually just use grade 8, it's overkill most of the time but it's only slightly more expensive and I don't think it's any heavier than 5 (at least not significantly, I've never measured). Note that these are for non-metric bolts, you'll be using mostly metric so the equivalent ratings are class 8.8 and class 10.9 respectively, again I just go with 10.9. No you can't get them in stainless, stainless bolts are very weak. The material is specified by the grade/class - all of the grades I listed above are high strength steel, not mild. You can get different coatings/platings though, I'd go with zinc plated for cost effectiveness and corrosion resistance. If you want to have near stainless-like corrosion resistance, you can get hot dipped galvanized coating. Most of the stock bolts are zinc plated class 8.8, with some 10.9.

And so concludes Jon's primer on hardware for automotive applications, quiz next tuesday.

 

^^, ahh didn't realize those were the metric equivalents either, all great info. LOL, you should write more primers.

BTW, where do you go for these, just home depot or some kind of more specialized hardware store that has the bolts we may need in these specs?

 

Home Depot sucks for higher grade hardware - they have some grade 8 but very limited, and I don't think they stock the metric stuff in higher grades. Actual hardware stores like True Value, Ace Hardware, some Sears stores, etc, are great for if you need just a couple bolts for a specific purpose. You'll pay a lot more though per bolt than if you do what I did where I just got a couple small assortments from ebay and supplemented the stuff that I use a lot of with boxes from www.mcmaster.com or www.boltdepot.com. It's worth it to me to not have to run out to the hardware store every time I need a bolt. Alternately you could just order a box when you need them and keep the extras and slowly build a collection.

 

Wow, lol it sounds like you have quite the collection. What do you use them for, do you replace a lot of the stock ones or all the ones that come with aftermarket parts too? What kind of small assortment or box would you order to just keep around, for the most common use? I've always had to do the run out to hardware stores thing to find specialized bolts and it is annoying.

BTW, just curious, are the titanium bolts that people replace with for lighter weight, generally high grade/strong enough for racing use?

 

To add to this bolt discussion. I went to ACE and they didn't have what I needed, so I drove to a "local" store called King Bolt and bought what I needed. Also, if you look underneath the car, you'll find a bunch of bolts are stamped 10 all throughout the chassis. For me, bolt strenght is NOT the place to try to save a few ounces... Also, the built in locking ring/teeth in the base of the bolt head is a big no and automatically means it's JUNK.

 

So I accidentally ordered both the Hardrace and Megan kits. Don't ask me how, just some miscommunication with a couple shops lol. But I will be posting pics/comparisons of each of them. I know one of them will be up for sale soon .

 

As promised, some comparison photos between Megan and Hard Race pieces. All comparison photos are Megan on LEFT and Hard Race on RIGHT.

Thoughts guys? I am still learning about suspension geometry, and don't know much about bolt styles/strengths. The hardware these pieces come with are quite different, but it's clear to me that they are made in the same factory (as I heard from many people). The sizes/lengths are also different as well.

Compare and contrast.

 

Is it me or does the Megan ones not look offset?

 

Josh, I think you're right. Those Megans look like the roll center adjuster ball joints which are not offset for additional camber.