SAE fastener twilight date for cars

[john w]

What were the last production motor vehicles to use these fasteners? Were they used in big trucks longer than on cars? How about heavy equipment? I remember nissancrawler saying that his aircraft tools are almost exclusively SAE, and it came as quite a surprise to me.

 

[Diesel-Mech]

Most North American new heavy trucks (volvo excluded) are still primarily SAE fasteners.

 

[speed bump]

In the late 70s american auto manufacturers said that every time the did something new it would be metric so cars and light trucks are almost all metric now. Big trucks, heavy equipment and most industrial equipment is mostly SAE unless its foreign or they just randomly decided it needed to be. HVAC/r is almost all SAE and building is generally SAE as well.

 

[Panzer]

Start working on older Cat heavy equipment and you will go crazy. Some metric some standard it all depends on the Series. Then Cat goes on step further to frustrate you instead of 19 mm head on a M12 fastener it is 18mm head or on a M10 fastener it is 16mm instead of the standard 17mm head. Most everything is going to metric in heavy construction though from Cat, Case, Deere etc etc.

 

[v8garage]

Not sure they have quit using SAE fasteners entirely. My 4.6 Ford Modular Engine has 3/8" SAE starter bolts.

 

[janarvae]

My Eddie Bauer Expedition is metric. My corvette is also metric, except for the main engine bolts - head bolts, intake bolts, rear pinion bolt, etc, it's just another SBC.

 

[Gregster]

I don't have any SAE tools in my box at work except for the odd ball wrench or socket.

I have SAE tools at home when I work on my 79 Camaro.

 

[Jbullfrog]

John Deere, CaseIH, and Agco farm equipment have been metric for over 10 years. Ford tractors have had some metric fasteners since the late 70ies which were English built components. As for vehicles, Ford started to go metric in the mid 80ies and still had some standard sizes on lines, and clamps into the 90ies