So regarding all the nut, bolts, and spacers etc that coincide with our suspension. They get a bit nasty as do the major parts etc…. We replace those cause they have bushings but the nuts and bolts etc… can they be soaked in a substance to remove rust without compromising their strength? I know they are the cheapest aspects of replacing a suspension but didn’t know if removing the rust by soaking them might make them weaker? Does anyone have any experience with this?

just curious. Thanks!

 

Hi, my experience comes from auto restorations. I don't know of any coating processes that weaken nuts, bolts washers, bushings (most cases) etc.
There any number of DIY processes for cosmetic and OEM restoration of small bits. Oiled Phosphate coatings are a popular choice for home bodies.

 

Larger fasteners can be soaked in any rust remover, such as Rust-Mort and they will come out rust-free. Cold galvanized coatings can be added later. BUT, if the threads are affected, it would be very advisable to replace instead.

 

 

But… those suspension bolts are supposed to not be reused…

 

Are they Torque-to-Yield? I don't know. If so, I'd see why to not reuse them.
If they are not TTY, then there is no sensible reason to not reuse with a little medium threadlock applied.

 

I nearly agree with you;-) but the Workshop Manual doesn't give that detail. Only "Discard the nut" and "Discard the bolt".

I don't use "permanent" threadlock on anything.

Cheers!

 

I'm not sure where such a compound was mentioned but, presumably, the best permanent thread-lock compound would be JB Weld ..... and even that will yield with enough heat. 👍

 

It would be good to know which nuts the workshop manual says to discard. Btw I have a 2010 5.0L digital workshop manual I need to find from years ago…. Is there an updated version now?? When was the last updated version? Anybody got a link! Thanks

 

https://charm.li/Jaguar/2010/