Where to buy REAL hardware?

I just went to my local Ace hardware store looking for grade 8 bolts and looked on the label and they were made in one or more of the following places, Taiwan, China, Singapore, etc. A while back there was a post warning that some bolts marked as grade 8, weren't.

Where do you get your REAL hardware, who isn't cutting costs by buying from questionable sources.

P.S. Unless you live in the Tampa Bay area, telling me about your local place isn't gonna help, unless they have an 800 number and shipping dept.

 

aircraft spruce

 

I get a lot from Fastenal, but I don't know how the quality stands up.. they do have a great selection.

 

Tractor Supply

 

McMaster-Carr

http://www.mcmaster.com/

 

I went searching and found a way to identify counterfeit fasteners, but they don't call it the world wide web for nothing, I'm sure they can change the marks quickly.

Any fastener on this list may be considered defective without further testing.


form here
http://www.llnl.gov/es_and_h//////hsm/doc_41.03/doc41-03.html#appb

The ones I found at Ace are Hillman brand, but they were marked "JH" Jin Her, They are made in Taiwan, but are still considered grade 8.

 

seconded.. i had to buy a bunch of metric bolts one day.. they were like $2 a piece.. and the girl rang it up to $25 or something. She said "Why don't we just weigh them"... sold them to me by the pound for about $3.

They were just bolts to her

 

Mike, call Bay to Bay hardware here in Tpa. They're a true old-school hardware store. They generally sell quality merchandise. 813-839-5977

Hope all is well.

 

I agree with McMaster Carr...stainless ....grade 8...mil spec anything and everything under one roof er..uhhh web page.
Fitysix

 

Caterpillar
Curtis/Bowman
Lawson

 

Some Ace Hardwares have them but the call themselves Ace Industrial Supply,same thing. But you have to ask because they usually stock them in back.I got some Grade 5 & 8s yesterday at one in Chicago.

 

GARDNER WESTCOTT....i get all my bolts through them...grade 8 chromed seem to be the strongest...some stainless...it is all good with them...super nice people...get a catalog, write down all sizes you need with part numbers and match sizes of nuts washers etc...

 

So far I've had GOOD success with ARP - US made and available in almost any size, length or grade. (they specialize in automotive hardware)

 

Thats how they do it at mine. By the pound!

 

Hardware, wiring, filters, knobs, etc...I'll bet there's a dealer near you.

 

Caost Fab. Deals with real hardware. Highly recommended by Carrol Smith in "SCREW TO WIN"

http://www.coastfab.com/

 

Agreed

 

See if you can find a car dealer or body shop that deals with Lawson Products.
They bought out the Premier Autoware line , Supertanium Fasteners.
Much as I hate Lawson--They were one of the crookedest compe***ors we had when I worked for Premier-- The Supertanium or the Tanium line of grade 6 bolts were the highest quality standard production fastener made . Probably still is.

 

These guys might be able to help you out.


www.olander.com

 

As said catapiller has awesome bolts ,say cat right on the head,you can buy kano kroil there also.

 

I dunno about the US, but over here in most towns there are spe******ed Nut & Bolt shops. Look for em' in the Yellow pages.

 

We have one near here...Youngstown Nut and Bolt. A friend who seriously fabs race cars guided me there years ago and none of their Grade 8 fasteners are counterfeit foreign junk. I asked and checked out their offerings before I risked my azz racing with inferior fasteners. Plus they sell by the pound which always saves dollars. In a pinch, I've bought from Tractor Supply just up the street and their hardware is first rate.

Jan

 

i get mine from mcmaster or grainger. but i've noticed some of the 18-8 stainless bolts come in a plain bag and thier cheap in price (from mcmaster).....so you be the judge.

 

I buy from fastenal or from the local industrial supply stores...

 

You can also use MSC Supply. They have a decent search engine on their web page as well.

http://www1.mscdirect.com/cgi/nnsrhm

 

On our race cars we use NAS military spec hardware. It is probably a little overkill for a street rod but is definitely fit and forget stuff. We have a local supplier (Midwest Performance Hardware--317 858 9500) but Coast Fabrication, Aircraft Spuce, East Coast Aviation Supply and Wicks all have extensive catalogs.
On a side note sometimes Grade 8 can be a little too brittle. Some sanctioning bodies specifically ban their use as bellhousing to motor fasteners as a violent clutch explosion can simply shear them off. Correct fabrication techniques can make even a ****py bolt survive. Best down to earth and readable source of hardware info that I have found --Carroll Smiith's "Engineer to Win" and "Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners and Plumbing". Available from Motorbooks International.

Roo

 

I use these guys also. Not only for fasteners, but they sell just about anything else you can think of.