Don't know Theo,
Down here in sunny Florida, I've been on lots of boats with stainless fasteners
and fittings that have been exposed to seawater for years. Some of these
fittings, on sailboat masts for instance carry large loads.
All those parts look shiney and brand new. Probably the grade of stainless alloy
used in marine applications is superior to what is available in hardware stores.
So, maybe a local marine supply house is the correct place to buy these?
Peter S.
B9471799
Theo Smit wrote:
> I will probably get corrected on this, but I was told by one of our MEs that
> stainless steel is actually not a good material to use for a fastener in a
> corrosive environment (such as in a wheel well), because the screws will
> corrode. A better choice is a zinc-plated steel screw, because the zinc acts
> as a sacrificial material, and therefore will protect the screw even if the
> zinc coating is scratched (not sure what happens when the zinc is all
> gone...). You might also be able to get zinc-plated screws in higher-tensile
> steel.
>
> Regards,
> Theo
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