I’ve been poking around with searches here on J-L as I contemplate what to do with the acorn nuts on my engine. They’re not in terrible shape, it’s just that some show a little rust and if I can replace them without breaking the bank, I’ll go that route.
I’ve seen the threads about using stainless variants but really don;t want to go that route if I can help it. I’ve also seen about sourcing some from Harley Davidson but they don’t call HD shops Hundred Dollar shops for a reason.
The biggest question would be what grade was used originally. I would assume Grade 5 but it is a starting point. Boltdepot has some that are listed as a low carbon steel for general use.
Isn’t your V12-E worth stainless? Spend the $100 and be done with it - and have it look good forever.
What I have generally found when shopping for nicer bolts and nuts is that is a specialist end of the market. You can sometimes find similar looking pieces from budget suppliers, but I’ve found that the specialist suppliers do use higher specification materials that not only add strength - but that just plain look better.
Kirbert
(Author of the Book, former owner of an '83 XJ-S H.E.)
3
Why don’t you want to go with stainless?
I was gonna suggest the HD shops. You might wanna look that way online, see if the prices get better. Thing is, most generic acorn nuts are a bit shallow, and having one bottom out internally rather than properly torquing down on the head gasket would be a disaster. The HD shops do seem to offer deep acorns.
Are we talking about the 7/16" head nuts, or the 5/16" cam cover nuts? If we’re talking about the head nuts, I certainly wouldn’t go with LESS than Grade 5.
Thanks for the insight, links and thoughts. It has been brutally cold here so I’ve not been out in the garage these last few days. Tomorrow will be a different story though.
I could go with stainless, even with antiseize compounds I’ve had issues working with it in the past. For something as critical as head nuts, I prefer the tried and true grade 5 hardware.
My heads are off getting a light surface skim so I’ve still got plenty of time. But, as always… I want to know options ahead of time. If I can even find unchromed grade 5 acorn nuts of the right size, I can make up a holder for them, take them to my local plater and have them nickel plated with a splash of chrome on top.
