Topic: Refinishing Original Bolts (Vinegar, Wire Wheel, and ????)

[CycleRanger]

I use Permatex.
I wouldn't use copper with zinc...

Did you have to trim a good majority of the bolts?

Never used SS for case bolts, just side/head covers, carbs, etc.

[Kickstart]

The best ant-seize to use with SS bolts/screws in aluminum cases is Zinc based anti-seize (IMO):
http://www.amazon.com/Zinc-Anti-Seize-1-lb-zinc-anti-seize/dp/B004HMLCLI

Any anti-seize is better than nothing, but I would also stay away from the ones that contain copper.

[edwardmorris]

The best ant-seize to use with SS bolts/screws in aluminum cases is Zinc based anti-seize (IMO):
http://www.amazon.com/Zinc-Anti-Seize-1-lb-zinc-anti-seize/dp/B004HMLCLI

Any anti-seize is better than nothing, but I would also stay away from the ones that contain copper.

+1, that's the same one I plan to use, and here is why

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,94686.msg1086683.html#msg1086683

[SKOL]

Unfortunately I'm doing my case fastener bolts, And I don't feel like parting out bolt by bolt from a place like bolt depot

Yeah, no you don't.

Why not?  CMSNL lists all bolts AND their sizes on the fiche.  Made it easy to put together a list.  I did.

+1, fiche is provided by many sites, I'm replacing all my K3 ones with stainless ARPs, found them all at allensfasteners.com

How did this turn out? Did you have to trim many of the bolts down?

[SKOL]

I use Permatex.
I wouldn't use copper with zinc...

Did you have to trim a good majority of the bolts?

Never used SS for case bolts, just side/head covers, carbs, etc.

Gotcha

[edwardmorris]

Unfortunately I'm doing my case fastener bolts, And I don't feel like parting out bolt by bolt from a place like bolt depot

Yeah, no you don't.

Why not?  CMSNL lists all bolts AND their sizes on the fiche.  Made it easy to put together a list.  I did.

+1, fiche is provided by many sites, I'm replacing all my K3 ones with stainless ARPs, found them all at allensfasteners.com

How did this turn out? Did you have to trim many of the bolts down?

For the case bolts, no trimming is required, but there are a couple things to look out for.

The 10 main bearing bolts are not available in ARP yet, so I'm going with APE's HD main studs.
There are a few 56mm bolts that were substituted with 55mm ones, and the one large 10x82mm bolt was replaced by a 10x80mm one.

The engine covers are a different story as the lengths are all over the place. If you source them individually, then yes, you will need to trim a few.

[SKOL]

Unfortunately I'm doing my case fastener bolts, And I don't feel like parting out bolt by bolt from a place like bolt depot

Yeah, no you don't.

Why not?  CMSNL lists all bolts AND their sizes on the fiche.  Made it easy to put together a list.  I did.

+1, fiche is provided by many sites, I'm replacing all my K3 ones with stainless ARPs, found them all at allensfasteners.com

How did this turn out? Did you have to trim many of the bolts down?

For the case bolts, no trimming is required, but there are a couple things to look out for.

The 10 main bearing bolts are not available in ARP yet, so I'm going with APE's HD main studs.
There are a few 56mm bolts that were substituted with 55mm ones, and the one large 10x82mm bolt was replaced by a 10x80mm one.

The engine covers are a different story as the lengths are all over the place. If you source them individually, then yes, you will need to trim a few.

Do you have a link to the APE bearing studs you're referring to? I mainly find cylinder studs and I'm just leaving the stock cylinder studs in.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Short of refinishing I was pleasantly surprised how well the wire wheel did on mine. Not new but a helluva lot better. Blasting will take the finish off so I stayed away from that.

[SKOL]

I thought about doing this too but wasn't sure if my wire wheel was too abrasive or not and if it will pull the zinc coating off. I can't remember if it is a fine or coarse or not. Do you remember what you used?

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

I thought about doing this too but wasn't sure if my wire wheel was too abrasive or not and if it will pull the zinc coating off. I can't remember if it is a fine or coarse or not. Do you remember what you used?

Yeah, brass/bronze looking one. Harbor freight variety.

[CycleRanger]

I thought about doing this too but wasn't sure if my wire wheel was too abrasive or not and if it will pull the zinc coating off. I can't remember if it is a fine or coarse or not. Do you remember what you used?

Yeah, brass/bronze looking one. Harbor freight variety.

Wear eye protection!! 

[mystic_1]

Yeah, brass/bronze looking one. Harbor freight variety.

I'd bet a dollar that it was a brass coated steel brush.  Especially if it was from harbor freight 

mystic_1

[SKOL]

Would a brass wire wheel polish enough without ripping zinc coating off or grinning the bolt down too much?

[ekpent]

 Did not read the whole thread--sorry- but will say I was going to clean some side cover/ valve cover screws once and soaked them in vinegar thinking they would be fine. Got busy with other things and when I returned a couple of weeks later or more there was a blob of useless crap left in my nice clean plastic bucket    Never thought that stuff was quite that strong but became a believer. Don't forget it if you soak it 

[SKOL]

Did not read the whole thread--sorry- but will say I was going to clean some side cover/ valve cover screws once and soaked them in vinegar thinking they would be fine. Got busy with other things and when I returned a couple of weeks later or more there was a blob of useless crap left in my nice clean plastic bucket    Never thought that stuff was quite that strong but became a believer. Don't forget it if you soak it 

Wow that's crazy. I have considered soaking them but probably for not more than 24 hours or so as they are not too bad and it would just help me out as I'm kinda of lazy when it comes to polishing 50 some odd bolts that's are 40 years old.

[ekpent]

Did not read the whole thread--sorry- but will say I was going to clean some side cover/ valve cover screws once and soaked them in vinegar thinking they would be fine. Got busy with other things and when I returned a couple of weeks later or more there was a blob of useless crap left in my nice clean plastic bucket    Never thought that stuff was quite that strong but became a believer. Don't forget it if you soak it 

Wow that's crazy. I have considered soaking them but probably for not more than 24 hours or so as they are not too bad and it would just help me out as I'm kinda of lazy when it comes to polishing 50 some odd bolts that's are 40 years old.

Truth be be known it was probably more like a month or two or more but I never thought vinegar could be that 'tough'  I just recently bought the 29.00 dollar Allen kit off the big E-bay seller who puts together a very nice package for the 750's and plan on using it for this engine.

[SKOL]

Did not read the whole thread--sorry- but will say I was going to clean some side cover/ valve cover screws once and soaked them in vinegar thinking they would be fine. Got busy with other things and when I returned a couple of weeks later or more there was a blob of useless crap left in my nice clean plastic bucket    Never thought that stuff was quite that strong but became a believer. Don't forget it if you soak it 

Wow that's crazy. I have considered soaking them but probably for not more than 24 hours or so as they are not too bad and it would just help me out as I'm kinda of lazy when it comes to polishing 50 some odd bolts that's are 40 years old.

Truth be be known it was probably more like a month or two or more but I never thought vinegar could be that 'tough'  I just recently bought the 29.00 dollar Allen kit off the big E-bay seller who puts together a very nice package for the 750's and plan on using it for this engine.

I've bought a similar Allen set for all my covers. Can't find anywhere that sells a kit for the bolts that join the two case halves together. Hence trying to part out bolt by bolt or refinishing the old ones that aren't too bad.

[BobbyR]

If these are bolts that will not be removed regularly, you can wire wheel them. Once they are clean you can poke them through a piece of cardboard and spay them with chrome spray. With the heeds sitting flat you actully flood them causing a puddle and let it dry. You repeat the process until you get a good look. Flooding them causes the metal flakes to collect and looks very good.
When you install them, you put a piece of masking tape around the bolt head. This avoids metal to metal contact between the bolt and the socket would knock off the paint.   

[przjohn]

 If you get yourself set up to plate and do the proper preparation you will be rewarded with great results. You don't have to stop at just case bolts. Axles, stays, brake arms, and lots of other stuff can get plated too. I use new fasteners too but the plating gives me options. You can also be doing other stuff while you are plating. If I'm building wheels the plating operation is set up and most all the bolts I need plated on a restoration are getting done at the same time. Comes in handy later in the project to have nice shiny parts ready to go when you need them. You also have control over the final finish. You can go anywhere from Grey lag bolt type of look all the way to an almost Chrome like shine. A caveat here is that the Chrome shine will begin to deteriorate after some years as the Zinc sacrifices. You can also do Chromate finishes such as Yellow Chromate. That is the look you see on some bolts and parts that look Yellow. Try it, you'll like it.

Honda CL90 Parts Before,



And After,

[SKOL]

Looks fantastic! I think I'm going to be doing a bit of a combination of zinc plating and just brass wire wheeling. My case bolts really aren't too bad, I think I can get away with soaking in vinegar or coke over night then wire wheeling them, putting some mag/alum. polish on them and calling it a day. But for larger pieces, or pieces I really want to look brand new, I'm probably going to make a make-shift zinc plating set up for things like brake arms, swing arm bolts, etc. Going to try and stay away from new if possible, or unless for the money and ease of mind it just makes sense to buy something new... I'd prefer to do things on my own rather than just buy a bunch of sh**, but I can also be quite lazy from time to time so I suppose it depends on the shape the part is in, how much money I have, and how much energy I have.

[CBDee]

Polishing the heads will inhibit rust as well. Did that on my bolts a couple of years ago and haven't had any problems. Of course, I keep the bike in the garage when not in use.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Would a brass wire wheel polish enough without ripping zinc coating off or grinning the bolt down too much?

I don't think so. And yeah, I'm sure the HF wheel is not the real deal but it's working well.

Can't beat PRZ's gig!!

Vinegar is acid. It will affect different metals differently depending on the hardness. Zinc is soft, it will react/dissolve more quickly. I like to use it to dissolve light rust on chrome.

[SKOL]

Alright, I'm just going to brass wheel polish these bastards and put them in. Enough contemplating on how to do this. A brass wire wheel should pull my rust off, leave the zinc plating, and clean it up enough to make it look half way decent. I need some action.

[SKOL]

Final question... anybody know what the original case bolts are made of? Just regular old steel that has been zinc plated?

[edwardmorris]

Alright, I'm just going to brass wheel polish these bastards and put them in. Enough contemplating on how to do this. A brass wire wheel should pull my rust off, leave the zinc plating, and clean it up enough to make it look half way decent. I need some action.

If there is rust on them, then the zinc is already gone and it will rust again unless replated or sealed up in some way. Just get the ARP SS ones and HD main studs from APE/cbrzone.com and not worry about it.