Can anyone tell me if it is OK to use stainless steel nuts on my beetles exhaust manifold (where it bolts to the heads)? Or does it create problems like reactions to the other metals etc? Is there a particular grade of stainless I should use?
Advice will be greatly appreciated.
Cheers SAS:duh
PS. hope everyone had a good chrissy.

No problem at all. No need to worry about special grade bolts, any stainless will do and they dont rust. No great issues with reacting with other metals but use anti seize on them as you put them on, every bit helps.

Just be aware of the difference in hardness between the mild steel, alloy, and stainless stuff on your car and dont muder anything tight unneccesarily.

I've used 316 s/s nuts with no problems. Like always, ensure you use a good quality antiseize, I use one that's nickle based.

Thanks guys, where do I get nickel based anti seize from, Ive got "never-seize" will this be cool or not?
Cheers SAS

Probably do, the welding shops are good to find quality brands of this stuff. Supercheap auto will have it too.

You could always take the studs out and replace them as well, stainless the lot, including spring and flat washers. Or replace the studs with stainless allen key bolts.

I would leave it as a stud, I wouldn't like the idea of having to remove the bolt out of the alloy head every time you wanted to take off the exhaust. Just asking for thread pulling out.:cussing

Hi

I use stainless Glen Lock nuts, normal stainless nuts tend to wind off due to vibration. They are expensive, but I have some that Ive used on my car for 16 years and they still look like new and unwind every time.

Steve

Shouldn't they be Brass?

Steve where could i buy some of the Glen Lock nuts from. I'm just about to bolt some new extractors on!

Cheers Dan:o

I made some stainless steel studs from some stainless bolts I bought... I'm never going to drill out old rusted exhaust studs again...

Many years ago, I bolted a different exhaust manifold to a Mitsubishi L300 I had and I used spring washers and zinc plated nuts... it didn't take long for the spring to go out of the spring washers and the manifold came loose with many of the nuts undoing and falling off...

So, don't use spring washers on exhausts near the engine...
where it is Very hot... as the spring washers turn into "springless" washers....

Lee

I forgot to ask - What is a Glen Lock NUT???

what are they made of??

How do they lock on??

any photos?

Lee

Yeah Glen Lock are great, just don't use on s/s v stainless as they tend to pickup.

I agree with Dannyboy.
I prefer brass, no rust problems and if the studs rust they don't sieze to the stud like SS will. Brass is softer than the stud, not harder like SS so you damage the nut before the stud.
Brass nuts, SS star washers and plenty of antisieze is what I use.

We are all still waiting to hear what GLEN LOCKS are.:thumb

Hi

They are made by
James Glen Pty Ltd
Unit F2, 3-29 Birnie Ave, Lidcombe NSW 2141
ph: (02) 9737 5252

You can get them from most industrial fastener places. They have 2 blades (see picture) that grip the thread to stop them from undoing, which will happen with normal stainless nuts. I have only ever had one pickup the thread and luckly it was bolt and nut.

Steve

[Edited on 30-12-2004 by 1302Steve]

So what shall i do? I will need to replace all the studs and nuts and any washers.

Does replacement studs , SS Glen nuts ( sounds funny!) and a ss flat washer along with anti seize for the studs sound right?

Cheers Dan

Hi Danny

I just used stock studs & Glen locks with flat stainless washers with lashins of Never sieze.

Steve

[Edited on 3-1-2005 by 1302Steve]