Stainless steel hardware kit: Worth it?

[Brad200X]

Anybody whose done the "basket case" project will know what I'm getting at. $130 shipped, and everything is individually wrapped and marked where it actually goes. It seems like half of my time is spent looking for the right bolt so I figured it was time to consider one. Seems a bit steep though... Anyways, what are your guys' thoughts?

[The Goat]

from my experience those kits rarely contain all the bolts you need....

I wish there was one all encompassing kit.

but at this rate it seems the best way is to befriend a worker at a local hardware store and get some discounts going.

edit: looks like we need to see where the guy below me got his kit. my ebay kit was crap.

[bad350]

Well worth the money trust me, i used them when i restored my 350x

[chris200x]

I almost didn't believe you when you mentioned the price.

http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Motorsport-Fasteners__W0QQ_armrsZ1

WOW! have the prices gone up! I've bought two kits in the past from ebay and I think they are great. No more rusted or frozen bolts, and no more rounded off heads. Eeverything is labeled and makes installation a breeze,, well aside from getting the old bolts out.

[bad350]

I'm like you chris i think mine was 100 bucks about a year ago

[RoscoW]

I got a kit for a Banshee from fastenerguy on E-bay. It was very complete, packaged and labeled by location and covered everything but a couple critical suspension pcs which were better left OEM.

Ross..

[Brad200X]

Seems fairly divided. I might just end up going to my local Farm & Fleet. I can figure out the lengths from bike bandit, then make a list. Thanks for the input!

[honda250sx]

If you think your going to buy these bolts individually and make out you are insane. Just buy the kit. They are well worth it.

[Brad200X]

I'm starting to lean more towards the kit now. just looked at the auction again and it said 558 pieces or something along those lines. BTW its for my '81R.

[andnuaa]

I have to disagree with anybody who said those bolts kits are any good because I just bought one for my 250r that I am building and most of the bolts are to long and stick way out some are even too short and some of the bolts are not even the right thread size for the bolt holes. If you know all the sizes you need go to bolt depot.com they have almost every bolt you will need

[oscarmayer]

by the photos, they don;t seem to mimic the stock bolts at all. they look like cheap replacements There's a bolt place about 15 miles away I'm going to go down and take some factory Honda bolts to see if they can match them. they said they had ATV guys come on and find part to match up. if they do have the actual correct stuff, I'll let you guys know and maybe we can get our own kits going.

what do you guys think?

[Brad200X]

That has to be better just because its a sure thing that your getting the right hardware. Sounds like a good idea to me!

[saleen_n_around]

Good luck finding SHOULDERED nuts and bolts and even local industrial fastener supply houses. They usually won't order under 1000, so it's cost prohibitive to go that way, and unless you make a good connection, you could pay a buck a piece for m10 and larger bolts. Just order the stainless kit and let it look good......

[The Goat]

I have to disagree with anybody who said those bolts kits are any good because I just bought one for my 250r that I am building and most of the bolts are to long and stick way out some are even too short and some of the bolts are not even the right thread size for the bolt holes. If you know all the sizes you need go to bolt depot.com they have almost every bolt you will need

prices aren't bad at all at boltdepot. You may have just given me the source for engine mount bolts.

[kokmatt]

I've wondered about this subject also I've never seen a bolt kit for a z on ebay for under 120 + shipping. local hardware store sells bolts by the pound so i am hoping to try that out.

[deathman53]

I have bought them from ebay, they don't contain the right bolts you need, either too short/long and also they are a soft grade of stainless steel, they can break easy and if you don't apply anti-seize to them, they can seize in or become very hard to remove. I would try to stay away from them, for anything that needs strength to it, ie: foot pegs, suspension, motor mounts, tripple tree and most engine fasteners.

[racerxxx]

We use all stainless fasteners at work, we buy from kenneth lilly in deleware, or mcmaster carr (mcmaster.com) Most are boxed in 25-50 count. Stainless hardware is actually cheap compared to standard zinc finish bolt. We use all 18-8 and some times 316 stainless. We manufacture packaging/labeling equipment and it takes the abuse. When I restored my 58 Bug I used all stainless hardware (everywhere) and it was cheap. Some of the specialty stuff might cost you, but when your hardware doesn't rust that is worth the extra coin.:w00t:

[clutchcargo]

Also, check out the Tusk bolt kits on Rockymountain. I bought a couple of kits on sale for 10 bucks a box. They're very similar to a shouldered Honda bolt. You just have to figure out what you need. You can't get a kit for a specific bike, but they're not bad.

[rdlsz24]

Seems fairly divided. I might just end up going to my local Farm & Fleet. I can figure out the lengths from bike bandit, then make a list. Thanks for the input!

Hell year Farm and Fleet! One of my favorite stores. Sadly Farm and Barn's metric bolt section is pretty crappy, and they don't have the style with the little crowned head. They do sell bolts by the pound though :)

Rob

[Taiser]

Yep I used the bolt kit from fastenerguy on ebay as well, was great, well labelled. Paid 100 bucks for my kit on a 86 250r. Well recommended.

[Dammit!]

I've had good luckw ith fastenerguy's stainless kits. Been wanting to try one of these though.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/HONDA-QUAD-220PC-BOLT-KIT-TRX250R-FOURTRAX-250R-ATC_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp3286Q2em20Q2el1116Q QitemZ110320151299QQptZOtherQ5fVehicleQ5fParts

[Dirtcrasher]

Whichever kit "fastner guy" had for my 86 200X, it was a 9 out of 10..... The stainless was a good grade and the same as I have from bought from McMaster/Carr.

Some bolts are too short and I didn't use them. Fortunately, I have a good supply of SS metric. When I need a couple, I usually buy a box of 50 or more just to have them.....

ANY and all OEM 10mm fine pitch will not be in that kit. Although he does give you the wrong ones for that application, which to me is not a smart thing to do. Not everyone is familiar with thread pitches, taps and dies and if they just take the bolt out of the bag and install it, in some cases you'll ruin the stock frame threads. I'd honestly rather he just left them out of the package!!

And yes, if your suspension bolt has a shoulder, I would not use one he supplies without one.

I do think the kits he supplies are nice, but you have to use your own discretion as to which ones you don't want to use and in that case, I just buy new OEM bolts and be done with it.

[oscarmayer]

i have some good news! (insert geico joke here) I contactred several local bolt places. they have a lot of these sizes in stock and i can get any sizes i want as long as i buy a minium of $25 worth. I'll gather a linting of the bolts and sizes and see where we can go from there.

[super90]

120 for bolts? Thats a rip off! I bet its alot cheaper to buy the bolts and get them chrome plated yourself.

[oscarmayer]

they also sell chromed bolts.

[Brad200X]

I like the look of that specbolt kit. Has anybody tried these?

[Dirtcrasher]

What happened to this post??

Here is the message that has just been posted:
***************
i have some good news! (insert geico joke here) I contactred several local bolt places. they have a lot of these sizes in stock and i can get any sizes i want as long as i buy a minium of $25 worth. $25 is jsut about 1 whole trike's worth in zinc coated bolts. for example the 1.25" long 6mmx1.0 thread is $.58 each zinc and $1.38 SS. so if you want the ss you can figure on spending about $50-$60 on the correct amount to replace every one in the trike.

I bet we could get some 3ww bolt kits together and offer them to the members at cost+shippign charges and my lunch ;) ($5 for whataburger w/o cheeze, grilled O, ad k hold M, large fry and large sweet tea. ;)
***************

Whats the matter, didn't want lunch?? I'll snag some chicken Mcnuggets :D


I don't want to rain on your parade, but these guys buy a chitload of bolts and must go online to a fiche to see what fits what and how long it needs to be etc etc and then they put together a package. Based on what I got from "fastner guy", I feel that I could NEVER recoup or match what he did in that auction.....

I must have got 200 pieces for like 95$..... The only reason he can beat you or me is the quantity. Look at his feedback number... It far exceeds the amount of 3wheelers left in existence.

[oscarmayer]

well if everyone worked on a section of the bike to beasure and post up sizes, we could all easly get the sizes we need in a short time. 1 person it's a lotta work, but with agroup of guys working, we can do it fast. then we can take them down to the bolt places and get what we need about half the price of the online guys. appeace.

[montess85]

they make a kit for a 250sx

[honda250sx]

yes.......

[montess85]

where do you get them from

[deathman53]

Behind the counter at most honda dealers they have a book with bolts they can get and grades a good deal cheaper than oem michofiche. Most stuff is somethng like .50-$1.50. I couldn't understand it, the same bolt was cheaper through the book than michofiche, put both next to each other and you couldn't tell the difference.

[honda250sx]

where do you get them from

Do a little searching once in a while will ya.

Contact fastnerguy and ask him to post up a kit on ebay. he will.

[scottp597]

I am reviving this thread wondering this: fastnerguy vs specbolt - has anyone bought the specbolt that includes "oem" style fastners? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110400569308&viewitem=&category=6755

[Dirtcrasher]

They aren't stainless but look nice.

I can't imagine that kit is 100% complete, seems too cheap.....

[SeaBass8]

Not saying one is better than the other but Fastener Guys kit for the 200X has over 400 pieces compared to 220 from Specbolt.

[BlackTriad]

I manage one of the very last independent and locally owned Hardware stores in my area and I can get many, many types of fasteners. From my main supplier the bolts are usually packaged in 100pc for the smallest and 50pc or 25pc for the largest. Most of the bolts on my X seem to be grade 5 and some were grade 8.8, both of which are far stronger than nearly any stainless bolt. I can say with certainty that the stainless bolts in these kits are not grade 5 or 8 or they would cost the sellers more than what they are selling them for.

I agree with Crush about the OEM bolts being the best bet (excluding some screws, see below) but they are probably 25% to 50% more expensive than buying them from your local independant hardware store or fastener supplier. If we could get an exact list of bolts for a few different trikes than I could find out what the true cost is for the correct bolts.

For each bolt I'd need it's Type (Hex head, Hex head w/shoulder, cap screw recess/surface allen/phillips/slotted/star, round head surface phillips/slotted, oval head recess phillips/slotted, flat head recess phillips/slotted, two way stud, ect.),
Diameter in millimeters (3mm 4mm 5mm ect.), Thread Pitch ( 0.70, 0.80,1.00,1.25,1.75,1.85 ect.), Length in millimeters (25mm, 30mm,35mm ect.), and Grade (Grade 2, Grade 5, Grade 8.8 ect.). Nuts, of course, are the same diameter, pitch, and grade as their bolts. Washers are the same diameter as their bolts/screws and are usually grade 2.

A metric pitch guage is helpful in finding a bolts pitch if the bolt is undamaged and you can get these at most independent hardware stores but I have never seen them at any big box store like Wal-Mart and Home Depot.
To identify the grade of hex head bolts just look at the face of the head. No marks will mean grade 2 (Though with the OEM bolts on the trikes not all are marked on the head correctly and accurately accessing the grades will be difficult without getting ahold of a copy of their blueprints), Three Raised Lines indicates a grade 5 bolt, and Eight Raised Lines indicates a grade 8.8 bolt.

Most cap screws you can buy are grade 5 at least and for all the cap screws, flat head, oval head, and round head screws I would highly suggest using grade 5 because we all know that repeated installation and removal of the phillips screws for maintenance purposes chews up those stock grade 2 heads.

It would be nice to have a page here on 3WW with a breakdown of every bolt, nut, washer, and screw on each trike. With this info people could make their own kits easier and save a little dough come restoration time.