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Understanding Metric Hardware | Articles

Understanding Metric Hardware | Articles

Even though many of us spend our time messing around with cars built on the metric system, we live in a world where the motorsports aftermarket seems to only focus on Imperial hardware. What are we to do with our 14mm strut bolts, 8mm flywheel bolts and the odd 3mm screw when Carroll Smith concentrates on the world of 1/2-inch AN bolts, 5/16-inch hex-head cap screws and 10-32 button-head screws in his “Nuts, Bolts and Fasteners and Plumbing Handbook”? 

Modern automotive production, even in the U.S., has left the enthusiast far behind in the adoption of metric standards. In fact, most U.S.- and U.K.-built race cars still use inch-friendly rod ends and AN bolts in the chassis, even when the engine and driveline feature metric fasteners. 

One contributing factor to this state of affairs is the scarcity of metric aircraft-spec fasteners. There are a few pieces of metric LN- and NA-spec aircraft and aerospace fasteners that are equivalent to the AN bolts…

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