Ok. So another question. Can I use brass nuts on the intake manifold? We do on the exhaust side. I can’t imagine why not , but thought I’d ask. Also anyone know if they are the same thread?
I’m almost positive they are the same size thread. But what would you gain by using brass in the intake?
IIRC, brass is used on the exhaust side because the higher heat there causes corrosion leading to stuck nuts between the nut and stud if steel nuts are used there. There is no reason to use brass on the intake as the temperatures are much lower.
Hi John. A couple of ideas.
The first is I don’t like the way the narrow factory lock washers dig into the manifold. Looking at mine it seems like they have deformed the face of the manifold enough so they are almost extruded in around the stud.
The second is I like the look of the brass components on the SU’s. The nuts on top of the float, the banjo nut holding the fuel line to the carb. The four screws holding down the dashpot to the carburetor body, and the damper top. I realize the factory had changed these all to steel, or plastic for the damper, but I’m an old school guy, and like the look of the polished brass. So I figured why not do the intake manifold in brass too…
I’m almost considering using copper washers instead of the narrow steel lock washers. Or maybe a washer underneath the lock washer, in order to avoid the steel lock washer from cutting into the manifold.
Yes, they’re the same 5/16-24 UNF thread. Stainless steel works. It’s what I’ve used, with antiseize to retard any galvanic corrosion.
Good idea to use the antiseize compound Nick. Be careful using stainless. The only thing that prevents stainless from corroding is expose to oxygen. Once it’s buried in an assembly, you can get corrosion. I believe it’s called crevice corrosion. Then you have the combination of aluminum and stainless. They don’t play well together. You can find a product called Lanocote which you can cover the fastener threads and it really helps with the galvanic corrosion. It’s used a lot on boats, as they have extensive alloy components and ss fasteners.