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#1
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Material for battery terminal bolts?
Hi all,
am trying to "rust proof" a vehicle... when I got it the old battery had spewed acid everywhere and destroyed not only itself, but the coating on the hold down and all of the battery cables. I purchased replacement heavier gauge cables (cheaper than buying the ones from the dealer!) with ring terminals on both ends, an Optima yellow top, and used marine brass battery terminal connectors to hook everything up - the ring terminals were fastened to the brass by machine screws and wing nuts. Well, today I had to pull the alternator out because it apparently locked up solid while the vehicle sat for a little over a week... pulled the battery out to get access to it and I found that the hardware for the brass terminals, which I thought was brass, was apparently only brass plated and is rusting through the plating. So... my immediate thought was to replace it all with either brass or stainless steel. Difficulty - I can't seem to find a source for either brass or stainless steel battery clamp bolts (the 5/16" square head bolts for a top post battery.) I did find one eBay seller selling titanium bolts... but that seems very silly (and also might create another problem, that is, that titanium tends to gall very easily thus putting me right back in the same boat of having to cut a bolt to save my terminals if the battery ever needs to be replaced. I'm assuming that there is a reason for this, but I don't know what it is (some web discussions suggest galvanic corrosion, but wouldn't that also be a problem of similar magnitude with regular steel touching brass touching lead?) nor do I have a source for corrosion resistant fasteners... any idea? Local to me I only have the usual auto parts stores (all chains; the one good local store got bought out by NAPA a year or two ago) and a Fastenal. I'm not close enough to the water to have a good boat store, which would have been my first thought... thanks nate -- replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply. http://members.cox.net/njnagel |
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#2
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Material for battery terminal bolts?
Nate Nagel > wrote:
> >Well, today I had to pull the alternator out because it apparently >locked up solid while the vehicle sat for a little over a week... >pulled the battery out to get access to it and I found that the hardware >for the brass terminals, which I thought was brass, was apparently only >brass plated and is rusting through the plating. Welcome to China. >So... my immediate thought was to replace it all with either brass or >stainless steel. Difficulty - I can't seem to find a source for either >brass or stainless steel battery clamp bolts (the 5/16" square head >bolts for a top post battery.) I did find one eBay seller selling >titanium bolts... but that seems very silly (and also might create >another problem, that is, that titanium tends to gall very easily thus >putting me right back in the same boat of having to cut a bolt to save >my terminals if the battery ever needs to be replaced. Try an industrial bolt supplier. Fastenal should be able to get you 5/16 square heads in stainless or phosphor-bronze. --scott -- "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." |
#3
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Material for battery terminal bolts?
Fastenal's web site was the first place I tried as I actually have a local branch. I might stop by in person when I pick up the new alt., but their web site seems pretty good...
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#4
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Material for battery terminal bolts?
On 10/16/2013 10:31 AM, Nate Nagel wrote:
> Hi all, > > am trying to "rust proof" a vehicle... when I got it the > old battery had spewed acid everywhere and destroyed not > only itself, but the coating on the hold down and all of the > battery cables. I purchased replacement heavier gauge > cables (cheaper than buying the ones from the dealer!) with > ring terminals on both ends, an Optima yellow top, and used > marine brass battery terminal connectors to hook everything > up - the ring terminals were fastened to the brass by > machine screws and wing nuts. > > Well, today I had to pull the alternator out because it > apparently locked up solid while the vehicle sat for a > little over a week... pulled the battery out to get access > to it and I found that the hardware for the brass terminals, > which I thought was brass, was apparently only brass plated > and is rusting through the plating. > > So... my immediate thought was to replace it all with > either brass or stainless steel. Difficulty - I can't seem > to find a source for either brass or stainless steel battery > clamp bolts (the 5/16" square head bolts for a top post > battery.) I did find one eBay seller selling titanium > bolts... but that seems very silly (and also might create > another problem, that is, that titanium tends to gall very > easily thus putting me right back in the same boat of having > to cut a bolt to save my terminals if the battery ever needs > to be replaced. > > I'm assuming that there is a reason for this, but I don't > know what it is (some web discussions suggest galvanic > corrosion, but wouldn't that also be a problem of similar > magnitude with regular steel touching brass touching lead?) > nor do I have a source for corrosion resistant fasteners... > any idea? Local to me I only have the usual auto parts > stores (all chains; the one good local store got bought out > by NAPA a year or two ago) and a Fastenal. I'm not close > enough to the water to have a good boat store, which would > have been my first thought... Titanium can be quite reactive with salt or acid so I wouldn't. See bottom photo he http://www.yellowjersey.org/fail.html I use stainless bolts with antiseize paste. Grind one side of the bolt head flat to fit. Use a stainless washer under the stainless nut. -- Andrew Muzi <www.yellowjersey.org/> Open every day since 1 April, 1971 |
#5
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Material for battery terminal bolts?
In article >,
N8N > wrote: > Fastenal's web site was the first place I tried as I actually have a local > branch. I might stop by in person when I pick up the new alt., but their web > site seems pretty good... If not Fastenal, try McMaster-Carr (mcmaster.com) -- Alan Baker Vancouver, British Columbia "If you raise the ceiling four feet, move the fireplace from that wall to that wall, you'll still only get the full stereophonic effect if you sit in the bottom of that cupboard." |
#6
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Material for battery terminal bolts?
On 10/16/2013 01:57 PM, Alan Baker wrote:
> In article >, > N8N > wrote: > >> Fastenal's web site was the first place I tried as I actually have a local >> branch. I might stop by in person when I pick up the new alt., but their web >> site seems pretty good... > > If not Fastenal, try McMaster-Carr (mcmaster.com) > They don't show any available either. I did stop by Fastenal when I had to run out and pick up my new alternator (I'd called the parts store to order it as soon as I determined that that was what had locked up; they had to order it from their warehouse so I had a couple hours to remove the old one and take a shower before it was available) and the guy confirmed that they did not carry any square head stainless bolts. I'm starting to think that they are not made. It is not a *huge* hardship to use a hex head bolt instead, but then I would have to use two tools to remove one of the clamps instead of just one. (I'm sure anyone who's dealt with the old top post batteries can envision why; the flats of the square head bolt engage a recess in the casting of the clamp, whereas a smaller hex head will not.) I guess that is what I will do unless someone turns something up soon. I wonder what boat guys do? Only boat store I can think of off the top of my head is West Marine and they don't show anything on their web site either. Used to be a great store in Annapolis (a long drive, but I think they did ship) called Chesapeake Marine Fasteners and I loved that place, but they've been out of business for 5 years or more. nate -- replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply. http://members.cox.net/njnagel |
#7
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Material for battery terminal bolts?
Nate Nagel > wrote in
: > I found that the hardware > for the brass terminals, which I thought was brass, was apparently only > brass plated and is rusting through the plating. Is this a post-type battery? -- Tegger |
#8
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Material for battery terminal bolts?
On 10/16/2013 08:07 PM, Tegger wrote:
> Nate Nagel > wrote in > : > >> I found that the hardware >> for the brass terminals, which I thought was brass, was apparently only >> brass plated and is rusting through the plating. > > > Is this a post-type battery? > > yes, old school. The terminals that I am using look very much like these http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...5#.Ul8uH0mzXWg although I don't know who the original supplier was, I got them from the guy who made up the battery cables. I'd be mad at him, but I'm having no joy finding anything that uses non-rusting hardware, so he probably had the same issue. I could get everything off the shelf fairly easily to "fix" them save for the square head bolts, they're a normal 5/16"-18x1-1/4" battery clamp bolt, but all I can find is zinc plated steel. nate -- replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply. http://members.cox.net/njnagel |
#9
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Material for battery terminal bolts?
Nate Nagel > wrote in
: > On 10/16/2013 08:07 PM, Tegger wrote: >> Nate Nagel > wrote in >> : >> >>> I found that the hardware >>> for the brass terminals, which I thought was brass, was apparently >>> only brass plated and is rusting through the plating. >> >> >> Is this a post-type battery? >> >> > > yes, old school. If you've got corrosion with a new battery, I'll bet you overtightened the terminals and broke the case/post seal. /Everybody/ does that. -- Tegger |
#10
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Material for battery terminal bolts?
if fastenal doesn't stock them you'll have to buy a box
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