Monday, July 17, 2006
Quad tips # 1
The Catastrophe Lads find it necessary to replace the stock phillips head screws with socket head cap screws on the throttle and brake fluid covers. After a few years the phillips head screws will rust, fill with dirt, and strip out after too much useage. Replacing them with stainless socket screws will give you an infinitely longer life span, ensuring years of hassle free maintenance.
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4 comments:
Having had much experience with fasteners, and their corrosion due to the elements I have found out some things that I'll share.
Stainless steel isn't always the best bet; it can, when used in conjunction with aluminum result in galvanic corrosion of the aluminum (white-ish powdery around fastener) that binds fast the bolt just as if it were rust. Also, the aluminum is more likely to have damaged threads because of it.
For fasteners, I always try to find Allen head, regardless of the application. Unlike Phillips, standard, and hex they are the easiest to remove should they end up rounded out (ez-outs are your friend). There are other choices, like torex, Bristol spline, and that square one that I don't know the name of, but I never have the right tool around when I need it. One of those allen tool thingies that folds up to be the size of a pocket knife is cheep and easy to find plus you can apply lots of torque with it should the need arise. Plus with the bendix allens (ball head) you don't need to be perfectly in like with the fastener.
That's some interesting stuff about galvanic corrosion, because the throttle and brake covers are in fact aluminum. But I need stainless because I don't want my bolts to rust, so it's either galvanic corrosion, or rust anyway. I don't even know where to find bristol spline, maybe at Mid-State Bolt & Screw?
Yeah, mid-state would porbably have them.
Why not use the the typical allen-head but go with a plated screw rather than stainless steel. I can't remember what the plating is called but it has a gold coloring to it? How would that hold up in aluminum?
If the stainless steel screws aren't subjected to rain water or saltwater, won't they hold up in the aluminum taps without causing corrosion?
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