I’m restoring the European version of the lower grill for a 77 XJC. The only way to disassemble it for rechroming was to grind the heads on the bolts off. Has anyone ever done this before. I’ve already killed a couple of hours searching for a usable size replacement machine screw. The size, in US terms, is a 3/16 or 10-24 diameter, by 4 1/2 in. long. Stainless steel would be the best. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Take the stub or the grill to your local ACE hardware. The local one here has an amazing selection of fasteners... Most of my fasetner issues have been resolved there...

 

Of course I tried all local sources first.
That’s why I turned to the forum.

 

Hi,
here's a link to Amazon where I found some zinc plated ones. Hope it helps !


Cheers,
Brian

 

Thanks for the help.
I often find search results vary a lot by individual.

 

To expand on what Carl said - not all hardware stores are created equal. I have been hanging out in the fastener department of hardware stores all my life. They usually have a set of drawers with fasteners, usually from the Hilman corporation in the US. An average hardware store will have from 2 to 6 cabinets with drawers of fasteners. Sometimes half for metric and half for SAE. Then one day I went into an Ace Hardware in Huntington Beach California. They had hundreds and hundreds of cabinets! Every conceivable combination of diameter, thread, length and material. Every length and in small steps. You want aluminum not stainless steel, no problem. Maybe steel but chrome plated, no problem It was hardware heaven.

When I got back home to Ohio I searched and searched for a hardware store here with that sort of selection. No luck. So the moral of the story is just because you have been to several hardware stores looking for a special bolt doesn't mean the next one you stop at won't have what you want. And if you are ever in Huntington Beach be sure to stop at the Ace Hardware at the corner of Adams and Magnolia.

Jeff

 

Try McMaster-Carr. It's an industrial online hardware, but I think individuals can buy as well. They have 10-32 Phillips head stainless up to 6" and 10-24 to 4". As well as a broad range of materials and head configurations.

https://www.mcmaster.com/

 

If you're going online anyway, you might want to try these guys:
https://www.valleywidefasteners.com/
They have Everything we've ever asked about (some of it rather esoteric), they have a shipping department and even several people on the counter. I'd be very surprised if they don't have exactly what you want.
(';')