AN Spec bolts - Pta area ?

[kloot piloot]

I am looking for 4 off 8mm x 60mm AN spec bolts and lock nuts.

Any idea where to buy them in Pretoria area ? I work in Silverton and stay west at Harties.

[justin.schoeman]

Hmmm... You don't get AN spec metric bolts. You can get NA spec, but they are pretty hard to find.

If it is a real AN spec bolt, then it will be AN-5 (7.9mm), and you can get them from 'Republic Aircraft Parts' at Wonderboom airport.

[kloot piloot]

Thanks Justin. I need to replace the bolts of my trike wing's base bar and uprights. It's a French wing and everything is metric. What grade would they have used ?

[justin.schoeman]

Thanks Justin. I need to replace the bolts of my trike wing's base bar and uprights. It's a French wing and everything is metric. What grade would they have used ?

The bolt grade should be stamped on the head of the bolt. 8.8 has similar mechanical properties to AN, but if the design is built around metric bolts, then they may have used a higher grade. It is generally not a good idea to use a higher grade than required, as the higher grade bolts have poor fatigue and vibration characteristics.

Buying metric bolts is also difficult, as quality varies widely. The same bolt supplier will sometimes hand you three different manufactures in a bag of one size and grade of bolt. Personally, if I absolutely have to use metric, I try to get CBC bolts. They are manufactured in Krugersdorp, rolled threads, and batch tested (Silverton Nut and Bolt usually have them). But even then, you are taking a chance, as the quality control on standard metric bolts is nowhere near that applied to AN bolts. it may be best to contact the manufacturer to get the correct NA or DIN spec bolts.

[kloot piloot]

Thanks a million Justin. Will follow your advice.
Sorry for the late reply, have been out of town a bit during the past week.