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nuts and bolts

Trans1998am

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Feb 27, 2012
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What's up guys. I was wondering where a good place to buy replacement nuts and bolts. I habe a 02 explorer I am going to do some suspension work on and would like to replace some of the bolts that are getting a little rusty. Would a place like fastenal or ace be ok? Or is there a better option. Thanks
 
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southalabama

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Search engine or google search is your friend.

Fastenal is good.

Tractor supply sells by the pound and is cheap.
 

Ruger_556

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Cheap hardware is usually cheap for a reason I've found... Fastenal is good, used to buy from Fasteners at my last job and they were good too.
 

Just_George

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Cheap hardware is usually cheap for a reason I've found... Fastenal is good, used to buy from Fasteners at my last job and they were good too.

Tractor Supply sells surprisingly good hardware at reasonable prices. I always found Fastenal to be expensive, sometimes extremely so. McMaster Carr is excellent - prices are middle of the road, but the service is extraordinary!
 

barks

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Gents, bolts are graded for "strength". Be careful to not degrade safety by using bolts not graded to the standard called for by the manufacturer.
 

Syberia

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Tractor Supply is where I get them, though that wasn't an option before last year. I'm glad they're finally putting stores in CA.
 

mikester

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Im sure everything on a 2002 Ford will be metric. Youre going to have to find a place that sells grade 10.9 metric hardware. I bought all new bolts for my two GM G-body Malibus when I rebuilt the frontends and I found almost all of the hardware at a local John Deere dealership. Brace yourself though, 10.9 isn't cheap !
 

Cyberbear

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The first place I look at when I need hardware is : albanycountyfasteners-ny on ebay.
These people are stainless specialists and usually include free shipping. Nice quality stuff at reasonable prices, often cheaper than zinc plated steel. As I remember from days past grade 5 was automotive, and grade 8 was aircraft quality. For suspension gear always use the good stuff, it makes a difference.
 

LS6 Tommy

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I bought all new bolts for my two GM G-body Malibus when I rebuilt the frontends and I found almost all of the hardware at a local John Deere dealership. Brace yourself though, 10.9 isn't cheap !

Did you get the correct blue bolt heads? :p

Tommy
 

6768rogues

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We are used to bolts that are grade 2, 5, or 8. Newer vehicles have metric fasteners and do not follow our traditional grade system. Metric uses classes of bolts, from Class 4.6 to Class 12.9. Bolt heads are marked accordingly. Make sure you use equivalent strength bolts to what you removed.
Grade 2 bolts are not hardened.
Grade 5 bolts are case hardened; the outside is hardened and the inside is not.
Grade 8 bolts are hardened all the way through.
Metric Class 4.6 to Class 12.9 are strength classes, somewhat emulating the Grade system.
 
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600SL

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I use BoltDepot.com. I can purchase in quantities of 1 or 1000. I also use McMaster which has a wider selection but cost more and bolts usually are in larger quantities than I care for.
 

James-W

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We have stores called "Farm & Fleet" and they sell nuts, bolts and washers, by the pound. At least they did sell them that way, I haven't been there to buy any for quite some time now. I am assuming they still do sell them by the pound, but I am not certain of that. If you have a "Farm & Fleet" store anywhere near where you live, it would be worth checking onto.
 

gorilla

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Have you considered buying from the Ford dealer? It might cost you more but you would be sure that you had the correct fasteners.
 

BearsFan315

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Portsmouth, VA
I go Grainger, McMaster Carr, Fastenal, then Lowes/ Home Depot for large quantities ... Ordered few hundred nuts, bolts, washers from fastenal Steel & SS for my restoration Project of my 1929 !!

of Course Getting a Discount from Grainger & Fastenal Sweeten the Deal !!

If I am looking or just a bolt or two I run to lowes/ HD or the local mom and pop hardware and get what i need.

Also BoltDepot is a great supplier as well...

If looking or custom bolts there is a supplier out in Ohio ?? that does custom bolts at a great price, they actually Make THEM !!
 
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James-W

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If I am looking or just a bolt or two I run to Lowes/ HD or the local mom and pop hardware and get what i need.
Our local Ace Hardware store has an excellent assortment of nuts and bolts. You pay a little more but they always seem to have what you need. I shop there quite a bit when I just need a couple items. It's quick and convenient and the people who work there are very helpful, unlike most of the people who work at the big box stores.
 

Bigblue&Goldie

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Ace is where I would go if you only need a couple of each size. If buying in bulk, I would look up Copperstate Bolt and Nut. Their pricing is waaayyyy better than Fastenal or Ace and their hardware is mand in USA, unlike most hardware store ****. They have a couple of locations in Denver.
https://www.copperstate.com/contact-us/
 

6768rogues

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I just stocked up on Grade 8 bolts at Tractor Supply yesterday. I had a 20% off coupon for bulk hardware and used it just before it expired.
 

bgarrett

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Tractor Supply sells surprisingly good hardware at reasonable prices. I always found Fastenal to be expensive, sometimes extremely so. McMaster Carr is excellent - prices are middle of the road, but the service is extraordinary!

George is exactly correct
 

mustangfan

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I redid the suspension on a 97 EX and also a 2003 Ranger, and the bolts are all metric. I found that for the rear springs, I replaced the bushings and used standard grade 8 bolts, but they were not the easiest to find. I did order them at Fastenal, but OUCH expensive. You might just be able to check the local Ford dealer. They may have the correct size and length. The other place I have found is Boltdepot.com has pretty good prices for stuff.
 
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Trans1998am

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Hey thank you everyone!I will look into the dealer and a few other places. Now I habe a good starting point
 

bwringer

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Reading comprehesion, people...

You're doing suspension work, so using the proper high-strength (10.9, usually) bolts is kinda important if you wish to continue existence. Make sure they're also protected with a zinc coating or better.

Home stores will not have these. They'll have a few smaller sizes of low-grade metric hardware, but not the stuff you need.

Most real hardware stores, like Ace, will have a decent selection of grade 10.9 metric hardware, but it's expensive and they may still be missing a few sizes.

Same goes for most auto parts stores; some keep a good selection, some have a bin in the back that they've never bothered to restock.

New OEM hardware is the "most correct" option. The dealer will probably stock a lot of these. It will not be cheap. Then again, Ford uses the shittiest, fastest-corroding fasteners on the planet, which is why you want to replace them in the first place, so maybe you don't want to go there. There may be a few special fasteners you have to get from the dealer anyway.

Some tractor stores will have high-grade metric hardware; many do not, or only have bins of low-grade inch **** so you have to go look.

McMaster-Carr is another option. For many, you'll have to buy in packs of 5, 10, or whatever. Prices are good if you need most or all of a pack, or you don't mind having extras.

BoltDepot.com lets you order whatever quantity you want.
 

Tim37

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For suspension and steering try and find a OE or equivalent aftermarket. Suspention and steering use higher grade bolts than say your alternator. Plug the bolts has some kind of retention if they don't have a jam but OE cotter pin the bolt will be slightly oblong to make it hold to the bolt.
 

sselander

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Belmetric carries a lot of metric fasteners that are more auto oriented, instead of a regular hex head bolt like many carry. (Flange bolts, exhaust, castle, 10.9, DIN and JIS head size, etc.)

https://www.belmetric.com
 

67carl

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I just stocked up on Grade 8 bolts at Tractor Supply yesterday. I had a 20% off coupon for bulk hardware and used it just before it expired.

Where did you get that coupon? They opened a TS near me and I went to take a look yesterday. I plan on going back to buy some bulk nuts/bolts this weekend and 20% off would be great. I do see where you said it was about to expire but I'd still like to know where you got it.

Thanks!
 

erty67

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Tractor supply carries most of what you'll find at Ace, but TSC is much less expensive.
 

gearhead1

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Tractor supply carries most of what you'll find at Ace, but TSC is much less expensive.

Ditto. I generally get from Tractor Supply, but they're limited on metric. I use McMaster Carr for metric. It seems Fastenal around here should be called "Havenothinall". Fastenal doesn't have much of what I need, I have to take time off work to go to the store and it just doesn't work out. In contrast, I can order whatever TSC doesn't have from McMaster and have it in a day or two.
 

nolimits76

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Oklahoma
I didn't read all the threads above, but a few years back when I did some some suspension upgrades to my Jeep, it was a must to have grade 8 bolts. They aren't cheap and harder to find, but they are stronger.
 

bwringer

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"Grade 8" is a term that only applies to inch size (SAE) bolts.
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/steel-bolts-sae-grades-d_1426.html

Metric bolt grades use a different scale. What you're looking for in suspension use are 10.9 bolts.
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/steel-bolts-metric-grades-d_1428.html

"Ordinary", or the most common metric bolts, are metric 8.8, roughly equivalent to SAE grade 5. For high strength, you want 10.9, roughly equivalent to SAE 8.

More:
http://www.k-tbolt.com/bolt_chart.html


A variety of coatings are available; the minimum in suspension use would be a zinc coating. "Oil finish" will corrode with astonishing speed. The blue metric hardware you sometimes find is usually zinc coated with a layer of blue dye to distinguish it from inch hardware.
 
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