Who sells hi-quality intake/timing cover bolts--not T/A?

Good ideas on preserving the finish, but Black Oxide should last for a while, right? I'm sure I could find black oxide bolts on my parts car that haven't rusted in 50 years. Don't know what conditions the OP's have seen or how old they are, but seems like they shouldn't be rusting. Maybe black oxide isn't what it used to be b/c of regulation?

 

I should've read your post before posting mine above

 

Ah yes, good point - Yes I would use stainless header bolts with aluminum heads, but with anti-seize, and only with locking header bolts. Normal stainless header bolts going into aluminum with anti-seize will just back right out, so use locking bolts and you're good. Stainless header bolts into aluminum without anti-seize is something that I really don't like the idea of, especially for exhaust which gets extremely hot, which results in exhaust bolts notoriously rusting and causing issues down the road.

This is only based on my own personal experience and preferences, as a mechanic that has worked on a large variety of vehicles over the years. I've always had a particular interest in learning the "right" way to do things, as I have seeb an awful lot of poor quality work out there.

There are lots of stainless header bolts going into aluminum heads all around the world and most often times they work just fine.. I just don't like "most often work" for my own cars and the things I work on, I want "it works period". I don't like doing things twice and especially don't like spending money twice, so I try to do things in such a way that ensures I will not have to do it over again because of failure or because it didn't work as well as I wanted it to the first time.

 

Regulations have certainly played a role, but cost/corner cutting by overseas manufacturers and the popularity of simpler, less toxic DIY methods have made cold oxiding processes more common. There are companies that sell the chemicals designed for people at home to do their own quickly and easily, and as with most things in life, you get what you pay for, both in terms of cost and effort put in. Well, fasteners are a great place to cut corners when it comes to finish, because it's not something most people are going to try to get a warranty replacement on, and the manufacturers know that. You're going to install that bolt and it's going to be in use for a good while in most cases before there's every going to be an apparent problem with it, and by then any chance of warranty will be out the window, especially since they can just say "well we don't know how you stored or used it, blah blah". I'm not talking about companies like TA Performance really, and I'm surprised they would (presumably based on your experience) sell a lower quality product like that, but it's possible they recently switched suppliers and aren't yet aware of the problems with them yet.

I would bring this to their attention and see what they say. They seem like a company genuinely interested in providing a quality product, so they may value that input, take care of you and work on correcting the problem going forward. Ideally speaking, of course.

Bottom line: A quality black oxide finish on a bolt will last a very long time without corrosion issues so long as it is not regularly exposed to direct sunlight for long periods, or severely corrosive environments. I have pulled black oxide bolts out of all manner of very old engines and other car parts, firearms, and all manner of other things where they were still in excellent condition despite decades of use in a rough environment. Often times there will be breaks in the finish due to tool wear and other abrasion, and the finish will start to degrade from those points, but with a quality finish this takes a very long time even with exposure to a rough environment.

 

Nothing wrong with anyone and everyone contributing their experience and thoughts to the discussion! We're all here to learn from and help each other. As I tell every one of my customers, I like for them to listen to what I have to say and give it consideration, but don't just take my word for it just because I sound confident and knowledgable. I've been wrong about things before and I will surely be wrong again, despite my best efforts. So I tell them, listen to my advice, but that's no replacement for also educating yourself and doing your research as well, so you can verify everything and really know what the truth is rather than just putting all your trust into what one person says.

 

I agree ARP fasteners are the way to go for anything that it has a lot of stress put onto it. I use the stainless bolts for valve covers, timing covers etc.

 

No chance that T/A "recently switched suppliers and aren't yet aware of the problems with them yet." I bought these bolts 10-years ago so they have, no doubt, had plenty of (negative) feedback about them.

BTW, I was chatting with a famous, long-time member last night. All of you would know his name. He has built countless engines. He told me that he has run into the same problems with these bolts from T/A, so it wasn't an issue of my getting a "bad batch."

Best,

Ranger
Aiken, SC