Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[RoadDawg]

Ordered stainless steel primary hardware from Alloyboltz.com for my Breakout. They recommend a much lighter torque value or damage to threads may occur. Example, primary bolts are torqued at 12 ft. pds. but they recommend torque at 5 ft. pds. for their stainless steel bolts. The idea that you could damage the threads in my primary concerns me. Should would appreciate advice. Yes I have a torque wrench but maybe I'm overly concerned.

[2k]

Almost every bolt on my SERK came from Alloyboltz and I never had a problem. I like the stainless because of the way they hold up. One thing I don't  like is the 12pt heads........forces me to keep up with extra sockets. I am the worse organizer in the world, my tool drawers are labeled 1/4", 1/2", 3/4", etc. Ever try an locate a 7/32 12pt in a drawer with 150 other sockets? But then, thats no alloyboltz fault.

[ptnlinda]

Used them on the 6 Harleys I have owned. I transfer them from bike to bike. Never had a problem. Love them as once polished you never need to touch them again.

[RoadDawg]

Used them on the 6 Harleys I have owned. I transfer them from bike to bike. Never had a problem. Love them as once polished you never need to touch them again.

Are you using the 18-8 stainless or ARP grade 8? I have show polished 18-8 from Alloybotlz for my primary cover

[RoadDawg]

Almost every bolt on my SERK came from Alloyboltz and I never had a problem. I like the stainless because of the way they hold up. One thing I don't  like is the 12pt heads........forces me to keep up with extra sockets. I am the worse organizer in the world, my tool drawers are labeled 1/4", 1/2", 3/4", etc. Ever try an locate a 7/32 12pt in a drawer with 150 other sockets? But then, thats no alloyboltz fault.

Do recommend blue loctite or anti-seize on threads?

[mark]

Road dog, no one really answered your question about a lighter torque.  My gut instinct would be to follow the manufacturer's advice.  Torque at 5 ft/lbs and if no leaks, you're good.  BTW, I'd probably use locktite but not anti seize...seems using both together would be counterproductive.

[SmokeyJoe]

Personally the lighter torques do not make sense to me. I mean you have to get them cover tight enough to seal right?  I have them on my bike and torque to HD specs.  If I did not then I would have specs for both and likely I would forget at some point.  I never had an issue with the threads, I use blue locktite.  I read a bunch of info out there, then decided to just use the HD torque.

[CVO2FIXUP]

 Just had all my case bolts changed to 12 point stainless. Very nice.

[GregKhougaz]

I am confounded by the lighter torque values, too.  Does not say much for the bolt quality.  I've used Gardner-Wescott SS polished chrome allens on three Road Glides without issue.  See here:  Re: 2015 RGU: I'm Blue... So Blue... and Reply #87.

[RoadDawg]

I am confounded by the lighter torque values, too.  Does not say much for the bolt quality.  I've used Gardner-Wescott SS polished chrome allens on three Road Glides without issue.  See here:  Re: 2015 RGU: I'm Blue... So Blue... and Reply #87.

Here is the answer from the Alloyboltz: "The torque needed to fully stress the fasteners is significantly reduced when anti-seize is used due to lower frictional losses.  As an example stainless ARP head bolts are torqued to only 57 ft lbs. yet will produce the same clamping force as standard head bolts which are torqued to a much higher value when lubricated with oil.  You can torque the bolts you received to no more than 5 foot pounds which will produce the same clamping force as the standard steel stock bolts."

[skippy]

I just snapped a stainless allen head off with a T handle allen wrench  I say use anti seize or lube with a dab of grease

[grc]

I recommend anti-seize when you aren't involved with an item that actually requires a thread locker.  Any time you have dissimilar metals, such as a steel bolt in an aluminum part, you will get corrosion where the dissimilar metals touch.  That corrosion is what tends to lock the bolt to the thread, which can then easily result in pulling those threads or stripping the head of the bolt when you try to break the bolt loose a year later.

As for the torque, folks need to understand that the important thing is the clamp load, and the torque reading is just an easy way to approximate a reading for that force.  When a manufacturer sets torque specs, it's done taking into account the materials involved and the type of joint.  The material of the fastener is important because each material has a different modulus of elasticity, and it's the stretch of the bolt as you tighten it that provides the clamping force.  Different materials will stretch differently, and will have different yield points (Highly Important).  There is also a difference if you're dealing with cut threads versus rolled threads, or a dry install versus one using a lubricant.  Those things affect the friction between the parts, which in turn affects the torque reading.  A tight fitting thread that's installed dry will reach the torque setting long before a similar joint with a looser fitting thread that's been lubricated.  If allowances aren't made for those things, you can wind up with the torque reading you want, but a very low clamp force, or a lower torque reading that leads to overstretching the bolt before you reach your torque spec, which can lead to stripping threads or even snapping bolts.

In other words, the torque specs in the manual are for a standard install using standard parts and following the standard method.  Change any of those things and yes indeed, you will most likely need to alter the torque spec to suit the new conditions.

Jerry

[CVO Couple]

Stainless is harder and more brittle. They must be afraid of the bolts breaking or galling the threads.

[SmokeyJoe]

I recommend anti-seize when you aren't involved with an item that actually requires a thread locker.  Any time you have dissimilar metals, such as a steel bolt in an aluminum part, you will get corrosion where the dissimilar metals touch.  That corrosion is what tends to lock the bolt to the thread, which can then easily result in pulling those threads or stripping the head of the bolt when you try to break the bolt loose a year later.

As for the torque, folks need to understand that the important thing is the clamp load, and the torque reading is just an easy way to approximate a reading for that force.  When a manufacturer sets torque specs, it's done taking into account the materials involved and the type of joint.  The material of the fastener is important because each material has a different modulus of elasticity, and it's the stretch of the bolt as you tighten it that provides the clamping force.  Different materials will stretch differently, and will have different yield points (Highly Important).  There is also a difference if you're dealing with cut threads versus rolled threads, or a dry install versus one using a lubricant.  Those things affect the friction between the parts, which in turn affects the torque reading.  A tight fitting thread that's installed dry will reach the torque setting long before a similar joint with a looser fitting thread that's been lubricated.  If allowances aren't made for those things, you can wind up with the torque reading you want, but a very low clamp force, or a lower torque reading that leads to overstretching the bolt before you reach your torque spec, which can lead to stripping threads or even snapping bolts.

In other words, the torque specs in the manual are for a standard install using standard parts and following the standard method.  Change any of those things and yes indeed, you will most likely need to alter the torque spec to suit the new conditions.

Jerry

Thanx Jerry that actually makes sense now.

[TNCarters]

Guys, I do a lot of marine design using stainless fasteners.  Most common stainless steels have a very low galling threshold which will tend to lock the bolt to whatever its torqued into when installed with high stresses on the thread faces.  Galling is the effect of materials to transfer material between the thread faces when stressed to high compression basically forming a locking effect.  When we have a critical fastener that has to be torqued to high stresses we custom machine fasteners out of types of stainless that have much higher galling limits such as Nitronic 60 or Gall Tough. Some anti galling can be accomplished by using materials of different hardness or some lubrication on the threads like lock tite or anti-sieze.