Mixing original and repro bolts

[Phil D.]

Getting ready to reassemble a 72 chassis. Gone to a lot of trouble to refinish all the original bolts but some must be replaced due to either having broken during disassembly or rounding of corners or just too far gone corrosion-wise. Have obtained replacements as needed from Paragon in the form of their various sets but they frequently came in the wrong finish and wrong headmark (they might be right for some year model but they don't match what came off this particular car other than being the same dimensions). I've refinished the Paragon bolts where necessary so that they at least match the finish on the originals but they will not have the same headmarks. Now I'm wondering if I should use only the minimum from the Paragon or if I should replace entire sets, i.e. for example there are four tie rod clamp bolts, only one MUST be replaced but they came in a set of four. Should I use all four replacements or 3 originals and 1 replacement? Also, there are a bazillion bumper bracket bolts all the same with 3 hash marks and a letter M in the center. The Paragon sets are all TR headmark. I was thinking about trying to use as few of the TR's as possible and putting those in just the hardest to see locations. Strategy?

[Alan S.]

Re: Mixing original and repro bolts

Hi Phil,
Have you seen the ad that Richard Fortier has in the DRIVELINE?
He states that he has a tremendous assortment of original fasteners.
If you take the time to develop an exact list of what you're looking for, (like that tie rod tube clamp bolt), he may have just what you're looking for.
I really like using the original fasteners whenever possible. I've found that often the reproduction bolt that's advertised as having the 'correct' head mark is a disappointment. For example, the front sway bar link bolt that is advertised as having the correct WB head mark does have a WB head mark, but it's different enough from the original on my car that I decided to re-plate and use the originals.
Also, it's a subtle thing, but it's often noticeable when a chassis has a combination of original fasteners and new reproduction fasteners on it, in the same way an engine compartment can look a bit odd being a combination of original and brand new reproduction parts.
I'd say it's at least worth a call to Richard to see if he can help.
Regards,
Alan

[Pat H.]

Re: Mixing original and repro bolts

Phil
I was looking for nuts and bolts at Carlisle and found this guy that has an amazing collection of original nuts and bolts with almost every conceivable head markings, all originals taken off of parted out cars. Rich Pasqualone 610-462-4441 richp6372@gmail.com
Give him a try. Pricing is comparable to repro's, but these are the real thing.