just thinking, majority of the nuts and bolts etc are rather rusted so i was thinking whats everyones thoughts on getting stainless steel replacements for them all, theory is i can remove all potential causes of rust so its not an issue ever again, i know i have unrealistic dreams just curious if its possible to do and if anyone has done it before...

Yes it's possible and yes it has been done before.

I replaced pretty much every fastener in my beetle with stainless - be prepared for the $ to add up over time

yep i was backing it to be an expensive exercise but isnt everything like that anyway? beats having it rust sooner rather than later or preferably not at all

Just put anti seize on every bolt.

i had heard there are issues with mixing the metals used in nuts and bolts for cars... can't remember the name that was given to it...i think it has been discussed on here tho.

ok... found the post... but dunno how to put the link in here. ... do a search under stainless steel fasteners and you will find it.

basically says that stainless and mild steel together will accelerate the corrosion process however it is only marginally faster than mild steel corrosion and not enough to worry about.

I just bought a full set of bolts for all four fenders on my 65.. I got them from a marine suppliers, they're the schnutts of bolts basically and meant for use on the open seas. As Chewy says, put anti-seize [like a non-permanent Thread Lock] on each one..

I'm spraying and putting hte whole ride back to together next weekend so I'll let you know how I go!

For what it's worth,

http://www.aircooled.net/new-bin/viewproductdetail.php?keyword2=THK0001&carti...

and

http://totallystainless.net/totally.html 

I expect freight would be a killer, so local suppliers will probably work out better.
hth