Captured nut replacement

Moderators: 330GT, abrent

Post Reply
User avatar
330GT
Posts: 1640
Joined: Wed Sep 04, 2002 9:30 am
Location: Seattle, WA
Contact:

Captured nut replacement

Post by 330GT »

As many of you know, Pininfarina used square nuts captured in a little sheet metal box spot welded to the body in several places. Among others are the nuts to hold the grill and headlights. These typically rust onto the screw and either the screw shears or the nut twists out of the box. In either case, you are left deciding how to fix this.

I went to a lot of work on my 330 GT to make boxes and buy metric square nuts to solve this problem (see http://www.parrotbyte.com/kbc/ferrari/C ... htNuts.htm). George, who owns a PF coupe local to me, found these nuts with clips at his ACE hardware store and they had them in metric sizes too.
P1020269.jpg
P1020269.jpg (69.93 KiB) Viewed 8962 times
As you can see, they are captured nuts, but have spring clips. To use these, one just files out the hole in the sheet metal into a square the proper size and then clip the nut in place.
Regards, Kerry
http://www.330gt.com 330 GT Registry
http://www.parrotbyte.com/kbc/ferrari 250 PF Coupe 1643GT, 330 GT 2+2 8755GT, 308 GTS 23605
User avatar
tyang
Posts: 4060
Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2002 10:28 pm
Location: New York
Contact:

Re: Captured nut replacement

Post by tyang »

Hi Kerry,

It's funny we've been working on this problem for years!
http://www.tomyang.net/cars/ferrari73.htm
I've since bought a metric tap and die set!

Tom
'63 330 America #5053
jroswell
Posts: 13
Joined: Fri Aug 21, 2009 4:58 pm

Re: Captured nut replacement

Post by jroswell »

I can't believe ACE would carry something so esoteric. Whatever can they be used for (aside from old Ferraris). Perhaps appliances.
User avatar
josh
Posts: 144
Joined: Sat Nov 29, 2003 3:44 pm
Location: Vernon, CT
Contact:

Re: Captured nut replacement

Post by josh »

That type of cage nut is used on computer/telco equipment racks. If you know any one who works in a datacenter or IT organization, you could probably get a handful of them for free :)
--

1966 Fiat 1500 Cabriolet
1967 Fiat Dino Spider
http://www.hitchhiker.org/fiat/
250GT
Posts: 968
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2008 7:41 am
Location: germany/holland

Re: Captured nut replacement

Post by 250GT »

Google under" Käfigmutter "and you can find them all.
A very commen and used product in Europe

C.
Attachments
kafigmutter-415971.jpg
kafigmutter-415971.jpg (50.18 KiB) Viewed 8564 times
250GT
Posts: 968
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2008 7:41 am
Location: germany/holland

Re: Captured nut replacement

Post by 250GT »

On the older Ferrari's a lot of normal screw were used .
When often taking out and in. the holes in the panels are getting bigger and bigger.
You you must take an bigger screw often with bigger heads ( doorpanels).
I use a sytem of Würth with rivits with an thread inside since 15 years
This is not new, but maybe for US do-it -your- self- mechanics unknow.
it has somthing the same as catured nuts.
replacing the screws on the right by the left one see pic.

C.
Attachments
7983_a2_screw.jpg
7983_a2_screw.jpg (31.16 KiB) Viewed 8437 times
250GT
Posts: 968
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2008 7:41 am
Location: germany/holland

Re: Captured nut replacement

Post by 250GT »

Here the würth system.( Einnietmutter.)
Its just like the normal rivits , but this is an open rivit with thread inside.
they are available from 4mm till 10 mm ( metric).
you need differant bits for each diameter.
I have tools for every size ,but thats pur luxury......
You can remove you life long. again and again, especially in alu panels.
Polisch the non rusting heads and they look like the original ones.
I think a very nice repair system.these are nomally invisible.

C.
Attachments
IMG_2789.jpg
IMG_2789.jpg (42.98 KiB) Viewed 8431 times
IMG_2787.jpg
IMG_2787.jpg (53.36 KiB) Viewed 8432 times
User avatar
josh
Posts: 144
Joined: Sat Nov 29, 2003 3:44 pm
Location: Vernon, CT
Contact:

Re: Captured nut replacement

Post by josh »

In the US, that is referred to as a rivnut.
--

1966 Fiat 1500 Cabriolet
1967 Fiat Dino Spider
http://www.hitchhiker.org/fiat/
User avatar
330GT
Posts: 1640
Joined: Wed Sep 04, 2002 9:30 am
Location: Seattle, WA
Contact:

Re: Captured nut replacement

Post by 330GT »

I happened to be at a shopping center with an Ace hardware store, so I went in to look at the hardware selection they had.

I was quite amazed, spending 45 minutes and $45 selecting hardware. They had a wide selection of metric hardware, including pan and flat head 1.6, 2 and 2.5 mm screws in various lengths. In addition, I found straight slotted oval head sheet metal screws in #4 and #6 sizes and different lengths. Some of the trim screws in the PF coupe are slotted heads and I hadn't found them anywhere else. They had the captured nuts that started this thread in addition to some metric studs. I also found small metric cotter pins that I need for the carb linkage. Plus they not only had castellated nuts in 6mm and up, but in both coarse and fine thread. I spent a bunch of money buying fine thread castellated nuts for the coupe suspension as I had to buy in quantities of 25 while I only need a couple of each size. Sure wish I knew that they were available a couple of miles from my house.

So, Ace is now going to be my first stop when I need some hardware. BTW, this is a different store than where George originally found the captured nuts.
Regards, Kerry
http://www.330gt.com 330 GT Registry
http://www.parrotbyte.com/kbc/ferrari 250 PF Coupe 1643GT, 330 GT 2+2 8755GT, 308 GTS 23605
Post Reply