Technical Finishing Off Fasteners

Here's a li'l tip I heard but never followed up, never needed to. If you visit a CAT equipment dealer they have various USS/SAE bolts in stock that are taller like the old 30s fasteners. Some have no hardness marks which is also proper for true vintage looks. I've kept so many Packard fasteners I don't have a need but it may fill a void for some of y'all.

Allen heads (socket cap)? Fkn hate em. HATE EM! Leftover 'hi-tech' look from a time we mostly avoid now, even if we were once guilty.

On an OT rod a few years back I mixed a little Packard tech into mounting the fenders. Packard (and some others) used a bar for a washer on the rear fenders. It was about 3" long and maybe ⅞ wide with a 5/16 hole, and a curve that matched the body/fender arc. It stopped the "puff" in the fender from the bolt by spreading the clamping force. I then used a stainless slotted round head screw and aligned all the slots. This was on a Ford hot rod. All the other fasteners were round head slots and aligned as well throughout the body/fender/running board points. On the old shovelhead project I'm replacing all the "cutting edge" allen fasteners with slotted fillister and aligning those too. Even replacing the phillips heads with slots. 1 in 100 might notice but I will.

 

Nailed it right there. Thanks for the research!

 

Thank you, the highlander, my pal who worked for Finning Caterpillar for years confirms this. All bolts sold by Cat
are: Grade 8 minimum, Should have 'cat' or 'c' markings, or they're counterfeit, Cat dealers may sell lesser grade marked bolts from independent suppliers. Their bolt head height is equal to the wrench size.
ie: 5/8" wrench = 5/8" head height. Gently remove the markings and they're spot on for restoration stuff.

 

I've used these "stringer washers" many times, they come from marine supply or ski boat parts places. They are aluminum and come in many ID-OD sizes. I sometimes buy small ones and drill out the ID to get the smaller OD I want. Or counter sink for flatheads. Polish them, anodize them or just paint to match.

I'm with you Highlander, I hate Allen heads. But I have been known to use them in certain situations where it's next to impossible to get a wrench on a standard hex bolt. Not a big fan of 12 pt bolts either. I try to retain and use factory bolts when I can. Personally, I only like acorn nuts on Harleys and flatheads, maybe air cleaner nuts. Overuse of them can look kinda cheesy, IMHO.