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I don't think that there is a stock fastener on my 52. I'm thinking of buying the set. Has anyone purchased this set? Does the stainless hold paint?
David

If I am not mistaken Totally Stainless is the supplier for them
(and others). www.totallystainless.com They can answer most any question you have about the SS bolts. Yes, you can paint stainless, but why spend the extra money just to cover them?

David,

We have painted some stainless hardware. Do the same prep you would do with regular steel.

Tim, thanks for the information. At some point, I'm going to do a full paint job. I was just thinking that it might be more economical to have a fastener kit on hand as I work on my truck. Do you know of other kits that are steel?
David

To assure good paint adhesion on stainless you have to use an etching primer (aluminum and galvanized as well).

David,

I agree with Drew: it looks like some of the other vendors who sell kits get the kits from Totally Stainless.

Totally Stainless
Jim Carter Truck Parts
American Classic Truck Parts
Classic Parts of America (Truck Parts)
Chevs of the 40s

Tim, I have been to their facility near Gettysburg(actually Aspers) and you would be surprised as to who they supply. Even to overseas sellers. As a side note while they are not a retail outlet there, you can order supplies and pick it up there if you are in the area. Saves on shipping. They have also made up a custom set for me at no additional charge. They even helped me figure out sizes I was unsure of. Really nice people and surprisingly a smallish operation.

Body bolt kit? Like as in the cab? I would not use stainless. Stainless does not have the strength in my opinion. How about some grade 5 or even grade 8 hardware?

Just my thinking, the stronger the better.

http://www.totallystainless.com/totallystainless.htm

http://www.totallystainless.com/TechArticles.html

Nonetheless, as TrknGMC posted above:

"ABOUT YOUR SAFETY: We offer a unique line of 'GRADE 8' strength stainless for high strength applications, note regular stainless steel fasteners are only slightly stronger than GRADE 2! Unless you have a death wish, DON'T BOLT YOUR BRAKE SYSTEM OR SUSPENSION TOGETHER WITH REGULAR STRENGTH STAINLESS STEEL FASTENERS!!! Regular strength stainless is great for a variety of automotive applications, but use some common sense. Always follow the application guidelines of the original manufacturer and refer to the torque table on the next page. Even if your vehicle is a show-only "trailer queen", some day someone will drive it on the street, so DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME! See inside back cover for more technical information."

This is good information to read over. I could not get the Totally Stainless catalog to open, but do any of the vendors list a parts breakdown of what is included in their body bolt kits? Such as 1/4"-20 x 6", QTY 6, for example...? I have a FAM, but I was looking for an easy reference.

dg1952- I don't mean to butt in on your thread, but I'm getting frustrated that all of my original hardware I could salvage & use is making the new hardware look bad. I may have to make up a new set just for uniformity (& safety as referenced above).

Brad

Brad, I agree that every time I add some new hardware I see some other that needs replacing. I'm also having trouble finding some parts locally.

Tractor Supply sells hardware by the pound & that's where I've had the most luck as far as a local source. It's about the most inexpensive place to get nuts/bolts/washers that I've found.

Brad

I took a couple of trucks that I had for parts and dismantled them. I threw all the bolts into a bucket and brought them down to my local plating shop for zinc. Took a couple of days and cast me about $30 for 3 1/2 gallons of bolts. They look lik enew.