> You really have to pay attention because some of the metric sizes fit pretty
> well in imperial wrenches. Generally the engine is imperial (I suppose
> because of it's Buick history), and most of the rest is metric. But there are
> some exceptions that don't seem to make any sense. For example, the rear
> suspension links are 7/16" bolts, while the front uses 12mm. Except for the
> ball joints, which are 1/2"....
Yeah, this is pretty typical of a lot of vehicles of mixed parentage, or
of UK or US build during the metric transition or in some cases where an
off-the-shelf part is used that's been around since dinosaurs roamed the
Earth.
That engine was originally laid out around 1960, it would have been done
with inch-measure fasteners at that time even if it'd been done in the
UK. Was that rear suspension link shared with something like the Rover
SD1?
I'm in the process of parting/scrapping my '91 Suburban. This is a
design that first entered production in 1973.
Most of the chassis is still SAE. The body is about 50/50 (oddly
enough). The 454 engine is all SAE but the 4L80E transmission is
metric. The steering box mounts with SAE bolts but the hose fittings
are metric. And so on. You get used to this after a while. And yes, a
lot of wrench sizes overlap (5/16 and 8mm are interchangeable, there are
the rare 13mm capscrew heads that won't take a 1/2in socket, 19mm and
3/4in are pretty much always compatible, likewise 22mm and 7/8in, etc.
and I think one automaker - Ford? - came up with an "11mm" head that'd
accept a 7/16 wrench).
John.
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