Box of Bolts?

So I'm getting nearer and nearer to putting the racecar together for good, which means frequent trips to Lowes to get this bolt, or that bolt, basically as I find a need for it.

I would love to buy a fastener "kit" with common sizes and strengths for this kind of thing. All the stuff you'd usually need to put a car together.

Anyone know of any kits like this? Most stuff I have found has all been small.

That's a seriously good idea. If it's not available, someone here needs to start selling them.

You have to earn your box of bolts through multiple engine swaps, junkyard trips, and teardowns. ;)

Every time a go to Pull-a-Part, I get hardware-of-opportunity to go along with anything else I'm pulling. I have several ammo boxes and 5 gallon buckets full of hardware.

The benefit of this route is that OEM manufacturer hardware is very high quality compared to what you will typically be able to get in the hardware aisle at Lowes. And loose hardware is very expensive.

Here are some:

https://www.mcmaster.com/#cap-bolt-assortments/=14ze1am

Belmetric has assortments for sale but I can't speak to how good they are.

In the general case, yes, my spare-bolt bin is effectively all junkyard pulls and leftovers from breaking down replaced chunks of other cars.

Do you guys sort your spare-bolt bins? Mine is just a 5 gallon bucket and its a huge pain in the ass to find something I'm looking for vs. in a nice organized tray.

In reply to ProDarwin:

No, mine is the same way.... Dump on floor seems to be the easy way.

I got into the habit of buying boxes of common bolts when I go to buy hardware. In smaller, common sizes like 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 a box of 50 or 100 isn't much more expensive than a dozen. That is even truer for nuts and washers. I also buy assortment packs of metric bolts every year or two.

Ace hardware does sell boxes of bolts as well as singles. Check with places like Lefthander Chassis and similar circle track suppliers, they offer common bolts needed for car suspension and such.

TSC sells nuts and bolts by the pound in Gr. 2, 5 and 8. More suited to fab projects than automotive but they do stock metric and specialty also.

About 15 years ago I just went to Fastenall and bought an assortment of grade 8 bolts in sizes ranging from 1/4" to 3/8" in lengths ranging from 1/2" to 1.25" with the corresponding washers and nuts. Been working off this ever since and just top up with another box of 100 when I run short on anything.

McMasterCarr can also hook you up.

I have all my bolts sorted by size and length in wall mounted bins. Washers and nuts separate as well.

When i run low, i go to tractor supply and restock in grade 8. I only keep grade 8.

In reply to NOHOME:

Fastenal will order specialty bolts and fasteners as well, usually have next day. Miss my store right down the street but now it's only a ten minute drive to the new, larger store.

ProDarwin wrote: Do you guys sort your spare-bolt bins? Mine is just a 5 gallon bucket and its a huge pain in the ass to find something I'm looking for vs. in a nice organized tray.

This is my issue.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

I had something like this in my garage for years.

Once you are used to working with an industrial bolt bin you can't go back

I have an industrial bolt bin like the above picture. I just sort mine by diameter so I have to dig through to find the length I want. When I have enough fasteners to warrant sorting by length I'll reorganize it.

I got one from hf. It actually is a really nice storage and organizer, filled with crappy bolts. I am slowly refilling it with grade 8 hardware as I use it up.

But I also keep used vehicle hardware in the plastic bins that our dishwasher pods come in. 4- metric and sae, bolts in one screws trim clips, plugs etc in the other.

The Magic Bolt Box. It never fails me.

java230 wrote: In reply to ProDarwin: No, mine is the same way.... Dump on floor seems to be the easy way.

Dump on the floor, pick what you want, scoop it up and put it back. Think about how long it would take to organize 100lbs of hardware into little bins, and the time payback isn't there.

I sort mine by SAE vs Metric, then diameter and finally thread pitch. I've got about four nuts and bots sorted that way, and then two giant bins full SAE vs. Metric mess otherwise. Getting it right eventually is the plan, though.

There was a small set of bins I my garage when I moved in. Whenever I needed hardware for something I bought a box of them and filled a bin.

Someone mentioned Fastenal, I support this choice. I use a lot of their hex key bolts on everything

There's a harbor freight somewhere with a big storage rack and a tractor supply pretty close to your moms place with tons of bolts. 2+2=bolt kit

Just found this https://www.zoro.com/durham-bin-unit-72-bins-33-34-x-8-12-x-42-in-350-95/i/G0750976/?gclid=CIeVlNbqoNACFctMDQod114CUg&gclsrc=aw.ds

Says it ships free and $15 off first order. Thats what i have. First row is nuts, 2nd washers, 3rd lock washers, 4th 1/4, 5th 5/16, etc. start at short and work way to long left to right, and buy a bag at tractor supply when you get low.

Hang bin on wall with a 2x4 ledger bolted into studs for it to sit on, and put it high enough to roll the welding cart under. Zero wasted floor space

I cut the side out of an antifreeze bottle and cleaned it out. Lay the bottle on its side, dump the hardware in, and when done, use the spout to help return the hardware to the can.