What Color Were the Bolts & Screws?

[Bingster]

The parts books from the forties indicate that bolts and screws were cadmium plated. That's a silvery color, isn't it?

So since all the bolt on sheet metal was pre-painted before assembly the line, were the bolts and screws silver on painted metal parts? Or did they paint the hardware to match the paint color of the car?

Well, now that I think about it, I guess all frame and associated sheet metal was painted black no matter what the body color. So did silver hardware stick out on black parts?

Do you guys re-use all your bolts and screws or buy new? I've successfully sand blasted these parts and then hit them with a wire wheel, and the come out nice. But unless they're painted black they really stick out. But in pre-painting them you can screw them up with the socket wrench when applying.

[TodFitch]

I like the look of a clean cad plated bolt on black painted parts. I think, but can't prove, that is how most of them originally looked. Seems unlikely to me that they'd touch up the paint to cover the nuts, washers and bolts.

Most all the bolts in the era of my car were ungraded, so I ordered a box each of the 3/8" and 5/16" ungraded cad plated bolts (no marks on heads) that were most common length on my car. Don't have the original DB in a circle mark, but not a big deal for me on that. Using new hardware makes assembly a bit nicer and no worry about bad threads, etc.

For mechanically important parts I did use graded bolts, but there are a heck of a lot of non-critical bolts on the sheet metal that end up being fairly visible...

The engine was painted after assembly, so many of the fasteners on it should be painted.

[JerseyHarold]

One hint I've picked up is to put a piece of Saran Wrap into the socket before tighteneing a bolt. It stops the wrench from removing the paint from the bolt head.

[Bingster]

Tod, where did you buy your bolts?

[RobertKB]

I clean up and re-use as many of the original bolts as possible as the old bolts have a different look to the new ones. When I have to use a new bolt, I usually take my grinder to the top of the bolts and then use the wire brush to make it look a bit older. Just me and what I like. Call me crazy and you are probably right!

[TodFitch]

Tod, where did you buy your bolts?

Newhall Hardware in Newhall, California back in '78 or '79. Moved away from that area over 30 years ago and it was the old fashioned type hardware store that has mostly disappeared so I'd be surprised if it was still in business.

Edit: Yep, out of business http://newhall-hardware.com//

Edited November 24, 2012 by TodFitch