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TR2/3/3A caged nuts on the fenders

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sp53

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My experience has been there two different size cages forthe caged nuts on the fenders. The back fenders are larger. Does anyone knowwhere to get the larger cages?
 
So do you have two different sizes of nuts to fit into the cages? If you do not then you would not need two different size cages. I have noticed that the newer cages that I got from TRF seem to be about the same size as the originals however I believe that the square nuts are a bit smaller than the originals. This can tend to make the nut easier to spin inside the cage if it gets stuck on the bolt. To reduce that likelihood I found there are two things to do. One is to crimp the sides of the cage a bit to reduce the space available and the other is to put anti seize on the bolts ( which is a really smart thing to do on all of the fender bolts anyway). I have only noticed one size cages on the 57 and 62 TR3's I have worked on.
Charley
 
I'll second the use of anti-seize on the bolts. I used stainless bolts on all my fenders along with anti-seize. Been great help as I've now removed the nose three times since I "completed" my restoration! I thought there was only one size of caged nut and as I recall the bolts are all 1/4 x 28. Cheers, Mike
 
Hmmm...I only had one size of cage nuts on the front/rear fenders and apron etc.

The only larger cage nuts I can recall are beneath the frame at the front of the floor. There is a through bolt there that threads into a cage welded on the bottom of the frame. All the cage nuts on my 60 were replaced with new from Macy's

Cheers
Tush
 
The rear fender cage is about twice as long as the front fender cage. The rear fenders are slotted with a longer cage. The nuts are the same.
 
When I said the nuts were of two different sizes I did not refer to the diameter or thread as they are both 1/4 fine or 28. What I was referring to was the physical size of the nut itself. The original nuts were maybe about 1/16" larger across the nut. This may seem no big deal until you put them in a cage where you expect them NOT to turn. The smaller nut is not going to take to much pressure to push the cage a little bit and start turning on you. Of course this would only happen when the bolt and nut get real rusty or corroded.
Charley
 
Although time-consuming, it would not be too hard to make some square nuts from steel stock to get a size that would be a snug fit in the cage. Cheers, Mike
 
I noticed the difference in nut size, but figured that just leaves more room for adjustment! With the detail we put into paint and and assembly (a lot more than Standard did originally), I figure it'll be many decades before the bolts lock in the nuts from corrosion, and we have any possibility of spinning them in the cage.

Also, on all my cars, every time I do an oil change and tire rotation I also look over the undercarriage and hit any spots that show a hint of corrosion with LPS3. LPS3 leaves a wax-like film that protects everything under it. I learned about it from the aviation industry...and it works just as great for cars. I have never had an issue removing bolts that I treated with LPS3.
 
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