Morris Minor Owners Club

Okay, so am totally confused... I am looking to but replacement nuts and bolts that hold the front panel, with associated grill etc to the bottom lip of the engine bay - these I think from the chart on this site are tightened using a 3/16 whitworth - this does not seem to exist, as a nut and bolt, on ESM... or bull motiff...

Help!!

Hello Arthur,

3\16" Whitworth does exist but I would think what you need are 1\4" BSF which a 3\16" whitworth spanner fits.

Alec

it's just a nut and bolt, so anything will do. 1/4 inch or M6 do the trick.

not sure about other peoples part numbers, but SUS724 and SUS725 are 1/4 inch nut and bolt in certain places

Thank you! So, for all nuts and bolts listed on the 'spanner' size chart on this site, I need BSF - which I can convert from whitworth using a chart? Brilliant, thank you.

Hello Arthur,

I don't know why this confusion persists as the larger head whitworth nut and bolt ceased to be made during the second world war, for some reason the spanners continue with the dual marking with the 1\16" difference. Basically just buy the fasteners by their size, which is based on the diameter and use whatever spanner fits. Personally I'd never use Metric fasteners on a Minor, it only adds another series of spanners to use.

Alec

i only use metric ones as my dear old dad has plentiful supply of them at his work... in stainless too!

i may get a barrage of insults for using stainless, but it makes it so much easier to get things off after a few years!

Haha - got it now... I have measured the bolts and converted etc. However, it is not so much confusion as interest in fully understanding how each type of bolt / nut is measured - I find it very interesting...

I need to get a life eh?!

Seriously -don't use stainless bolts with steel panels - the steel rots away round about them!

speaking from personal experience there? or O level chemistry?

i use all stainless on my '57 lambretta ,no problems

The electro-chemical table would suggest that stainless against bare mild steel will rot a bit quicker than ms to ms, but against a well painted ms surface, there is no galvanic action and the bolts and nuts do last a very long time, well 14 years and counting for the various body applications where I have used them - BSF of course! Wings, front panel, sill covers etc. Anywhere where there is water and dirt being thrown up against a body fastener. I have had the front panel off a couple of times, and absolutely no corrsoion at all, and all the others look as good as the day they were fitted 14 years ago, as part of the restoration.

On a more serious point, all the suspension bolts were originally high tensile 'R' grade at least, so make sure that you use at least an 'R', Grade 5 or 8.8 high tensile stainless steel bolt - not as common as the normal off-the-shelf stainless fasteners.

I had to replace the light surround of both wings on my convertible and the 4-door saloon project because some bright spark decided that stainless nuts and bolts would be a good idea!

Really, best avoided. The stainless nuts and bolts may undo years later, but what they are bolted to has dissolved into rust. Paint will not stop galvanic corrosion as all paints are partly porous.

as for the front panel, that is, as said above 1/4 BSF nuts and bolts. I'm pleased to hear you are keeping the original sized fixings!

Bit more than O level Chem, Chris - but carry on - do your own thing and ignore the advice if you wish - it's your car. Nickel plated bolts are fine.

Yes, nice to keep all the original sizes and types of bolts - bot for personal satisfaction and also ease, keep it original then the manuals / advice still works... change anything and it doesn't..

Zinc plated sounds good to me, though have no chemistry GCSEs / Olevels!

I would reassemble it using a dab of Copperslip grease on the threads, Maybe to some a bit OTT but a dab on any nut,bolt and screw (even the light lens covers) you are removing/replacing will save some grief in the future. (But obviously not inside the brakes.)

well mine, and the rest of our cars, all get along fine with stainless bolts. and so has islipminor by all accounts.

the only real issue i've heard with stainless bolts is what chickenjohn just said, but there's no reason to suggest that the stainless bolts were to blame. it could just as easily have rotted with mild bolts.

Hello TD,

"I would reassemble it using a dab of Copperslip grease on the threads"

I would second that advice, I'm sure that's helped me no end over the years.

Alec

I've got a feeling that milk of magnesia or something similar make a better anti seize for stainless steel.

As well as using zinc coated BSF bolts (as supplied by the usual Morris Minor suppliers) to ensure your Zinc coated bolts undo many years later- as wisely said above, use copper slip on the threads and I would also every year spray underbody wax on the outside.

The combination of copperslip and rust protection will give the same result with zinc coated bolts, but without the galvanic problems of stainless.