Tom,
You are a wonderful resource. Wish I had asked you before filing away
at the stainless. ;-) But, now that it is done, it looks like it
will last longer than the rest of the car. :-)
I replace all trim screws, bolts, studs, etc. with stainless wherever I
encountered one that really wasn't grade 8 structural. They were
acceptably available and priced at a local boat supply store. Had them
in bins and plastic drawers. Poly bag and take to counter, just like
fruit and vegetables. About a nickel a piece for small stuff. Somewhat
higher in 1/4 sizes.
Steve
Tom Hall wrote:
> <snip>
> The threaded retainers for the accessible ends of the molding
> that Steve described are easily made from 4-40 round head brass
> screws. The 4-40 screw heads are the correct size but they need to be
> modified to prevent rotation in the molding. Using a hack saw and a
> small rat tail file, you open the screwdriver slot to accept a short
> length of 1/16 steel welding rod. The slot needs to allow the rod to
> drop down far enough to clear the interior of the molding. Then
> simply solder or better yet, silver solder to the head. Holding the
> screw in Vise-Grips, a quick finish on the sanding belt yields a good
> fitting retainer that can't rotate and will hold the molding on the
> body quite nicely. Be very careful when tightening these screws as
> it's very easy to over tighten them and damage fresh paint. A flat
> washer and shake washer on the inside under the nut will also spread
> the load and prevent the minor distortion of the body panels in the
> area of these bolts. Simply dot the screw shank with RTV after final
> adjustment and this will keep them from vibrating loose.
>
> These screws can also be used in areas with body filler where
> the OEM rivets and plastic clips are less than effective.
>
> Tom
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Steve Laifman
Editor
http://www.TigersUnited.com
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