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Nuts...and bolts !?

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AH_3000

AH_3000

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Any ideas how to treat nuts and bolts in order to avoid rust like in the picture I supplied? Hate seeing my car being in such good shape, only to be destroyed by the looks of some corroding nuts...Shure, I'll replace them, but I'd like to avoid having the same problem in a year...Any suggestions?
 

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And one more example - rust, rust, rust...Yes I know it's the wrong servo but anyhow... :crazyeyes:

This drives me nuts...!!??

There must be someone with the same experience, with some good suggestions of suppliers, brands, anodizing-your-own-nuts kit(sounds scary :confuse: ) etc....
 

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I think sacrifical anodes work because of being immersed in water so probably don't work in air.
 
Wrong servo? Looks like a Girling MK2B which, according to the VB catalog (FWIW) "came on BJ8 at 24500-on and was used as a replacement on earlier Healeys."

As far as the rusty bolts, you could spray them with a clear lacquer (after removing the rust). I use a rust preventative called LPS-3, which you could 'paint' on after installation (you'd have to reapply probably once a year or so).
 
john_j said:
I think sacrifical anodes work because of being immersed in water so probably don't work in air.
Click to expand...
Or in salt-laden air. They use cathodic protection as well, on offshore (oil) production platforms.

Although, they do have their legs in water...
 
AH_3000 said:
Any ideas how to treat nuts and bolts in order to avoid rust like in the picture I supplied? Hate seeing my car being in such good shape, only to be destroyed by the looks of some corroding nuts...Shure, I'll replace them, but I'd like to avoid having the same problem in a year...Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
I had all my stuff "cad plated and baked" when I first did my Healey in '88 and now that I'm doing a frame up I'm having everything done the same and also doing the stuff that I didn't have done the first time around. The first time around stuff still looked good. Brass stuff is another story. I glass beaded and sprayed clear on those pieces.
Patrick
 
The exhaust manifold nuts are made of bronze and won't rust. All others could have been treated after restoring by spraying a clear preservative on them, I use Locktite's product available from Home Depot in the paint dept. it's in a blue can. Once a year spray again, also works well on garden tools. The aircraft industry uses boiled linseed oil. It really provides a tough shiny coating, if you can stand the odor, also available at Home Depot.

You must have stopped all your oil leaks and now you're paying for it. :smirk:
 
AH_3000 said:
...Sure, I'll replace them, but I'd like to avoid having the same problem in a year...Any suggestions?
Click to expand...
If you aren't worried about loosing points in a show, I'd go with stainless. Not all are equal in strength to standard nuts and bolts, but you can find them in high quality and better than grade 8.
 
Yeah -that's the downside of stopping that fine spray that usually covers most of the Healeys underchassi...

Anyhow - I'll try to find some of those products here in Sweden - I love Home Depot, but we don't have it "over here"! I only found two references to a company or name, that's Loctite and LPS-3, which would be a good start. The other suggestions were more subtle(no critics involved, only to explain why I can't just walk into a Home Depot and ask for some). Any specification would be appreciated!

Bob - I'm glad to hear about the servo. I've just heard another opinion from a Healey-geek! I do hope it's the right one, even if he said it wasn't!!
 
Using plated, usually zinc, fasteners will help. I do notice that your intake manifold and heater tube are not painted. Both, I believe, should be engine color. If not painted, over time both will corrode, leaving an appearance you will not be happy with. You can paint, therefore, the intake manifold nuts as well. As far as fasteners already rusted, they need to be removed and either replaced with plated items, or media blasted and painted appropriately. The problem with painted fasteners is that they will require touching up after installation. Also, be sure to apply a rust inhibiting product to any unpainted or unplated surfaces, especially threads.
 
Looks a little fishy to me, for myself I plan on getting a zinc plating kit from Caswell and plating my hardware myself. I have also heard that switching to Neg. ground helps the corrosion problem. Might be true, as every British car I've seen is rusted to "&$%#".
 
<span style="font-weight: bold">Dancrim</span>

Good tip - have you heard about someone having tested Caswell with a good result? I looked at their demo video, and it looked a little tricky, but OK.

I've switched to negative ground, and you see how good that is :wink:!!! But, I think it helps the body panels more than individual nuts and other details. I'm not sure - only a guess...

<span style="font-weight: bold">Cutlass</span>

Well spotted! I haven't thought about it before, but you are right of course..more work :wink:!!! The heater tube, sure, but are you absolute certain that the inlet manifold should be engine color?

Well, it isn't spring yet in Sweden (snow all over) so I guess there is time..
 
I bought an Eastwood zinc plating kit several years ago and I love it. It plates the hardware just fine and the finish is not too shiny like the stuff in hardware stores. I repair threads on my old hardware, sandblast the pieces and then stick them in the acid bath with the zinc annode. Two or three minutes later, plated hardware comes out. You then have to brush off some residue. I find a light, soft wire wheel gets the residue off, shines the zinc up a bit and does not rub it off.

From the pictures above, it looks like all your old hardware was cleaned and maybe even blasted or wire wheeled, but not replated. Also, those nuts and bolts on the engine should all be painted, with only a few exceptions like the carb hardware.
 
I have neg ground and no rust to speak of. In fact, when I replaced my rear leaf springs, I was prepared for the worse with all the cutting stuff I heard about. It came apart with very little effort. Maybe it's the neg ground or the fact that it lives in a garage and stays out of rain/snow as much as possible.
 
dancrim said:
Looks a little fishy to me, for myself I plan on getting a zink plating kit from Caswell and plating my hardware myself. I have also heard that switching to Neg. ground helps the corrosion problem. Might be true, as every British car I've seen is rusted to "&$%#".
Click to expand...
The ones built after 1/1/1968 (like MGBs with alternators & neg. ground) didn't fare much better...
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't the head bolt nuts and thermostat housing nuts supposed to be plated and not painted? Also I did research on the Caswell zinc plating kit and Leagal Bill is right, all reports are positive. You can also add brighteners to make the hardware a little more shiny. The acid solution is supposed to last forever, so it would pay for itself if you were
to replace linkages, brackets etc. vs replating.
 
The assembled engine with most of the accessories installed was painted as a unit at the factory. This included the generator, fan belt and starter. The head bolts all got painted.
 
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