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Mazda used bolts extensively throughout the 1st gens to hold all sorts of components on including the front wings and front panelwork.... as with all old cars, these are often rusty nowadays and cause plenty of grief to owners working on their cars and rusted bolts are the curse of the classic car restorer...

Luckily, Mazda used a self cutting bolt on the 1st gens and this really helps when rebuilding these cars.
When the car was built, Mazda welded in blank captives into the shell and then used 6mm hex head 'taptites', a self cutting bolt that was driven into the captives, cutting its own thread as it went in. This saved Mazda pre-threading the captives first. It has a slightly triangular shank that cuts the thread.
I bought a big bag of these from my local fixings specialist and they just swap like for like with the existing bolts. I have swapped loads of mine and everytime I work on the car and remove one, I replace it with a new taptite and put a bit of copper grease on the thread before I screw it in to make it easier to remove in the future.

The taptite bolt...





The great thing about these is that if/when you snap the head off a bolt, just drill a 5.5mm hole through the snapped off bolt and then drive in a new taptite.... most of the time it'll pick up on the original threads and the jobs a gud'un. You don't even have to clean out all of the old bolt back to the threads. The bolts also look 'factory' with the same 10mm head.

I drive mine in with a cordless drill...



I bought 500 for a few quid.... well worth the money!!

Any idea where to buy some more from?

If I google Taptite bolts, I get washing machine repair parts - are they the same thing?

If so, what is the actual size that we need - do they measure head diameter (10mm) or shaft size (6mm)?

John

Johnnyboy wrote:Any idea where to buy some more from?

If I google Taptite bolts, I get washing machine repair parts - are they the same thing?

If so, what is the actual size that we need - do they measure head diameter (10mm) or shaft size (6mm)?

John

I get mine off a guy called John who owns this company...

Fasteners (Midlands) Ltd
16-17 Longford Industrial Estate
Longford Road
Cannock
Staffordshire WS11 0DG
01543 462416

I've known him for 35 years and he usually sells me fixings for my cars for a donation to the works tea fund as I only have small quantities....

Cliff wants some of these taptites and I could do with some more so I'm going to call in tomorrow to see if:
a) he's got any in stock ( or if not, can he order us some)
b) how much they will be.

I'll get a price off him for, say 500, and we can split them between us if you like...
I'll post the results on here as soon as....

I don't know how they class them... by the shaft or the head size....
John's very old school... he has a unit with hundreds of thousands of fixings and he only has to look at a fixing to know the size, thread pitch, quality etc etc... I took one off my car to show him and he instantly knew what it was. A handy bloke to know!

I'd be interested in some of these too. Running low on what I have currently.

Johnnyboy wrote:Any idea where to buy some more from?

If I google Taptite bolts, I get washing machine repair parts - are they the same thing?

If so, what is the actual size that we need - do they measure head diameter (10mm) or shaft size (6mm)?

John

Hard to tell from the scale but I say they're M6 Taptite set screws. Think of M10 screwed rod, it's quite beefy, so not that.

I'd say get most useful M6 but some M8 as well.

ian65 wrote:

Johnnyboy wrote:Any idea where to buy some more from?

If I google Taptite bolts, I get washing machine repair parts - are they the same thing?

If so, what is the actual size that we need - do they measure head diameter (10mm) or shaft size (6mm)?

John

I get mine off a guy called John who owns this company...

Fasteners (Midlands) Ltd
16-17 Longford Industrial Estate
Longford Road
Cannock
Staffordshire WS11 0DG
01543 462416

I've known him for 35 years and he usually sells me fixings for my cars for a donation to the works tea fund as I only have small quantities....

Cliff wants some of these taptites and I could do with some more so I'm going to call in tomorrow to see if:
a) he's got any in stock ( or if not, can he order us some)
b) how much they will be.

I'll get a price off him for, say 500, and we can split them between us if you like...
I'll post the results on here as soon as....

I don't know how they class them... by the shaft or the head size....
John's very old school... he has a unit with hundreds of thousands of fixings and he only has to look at a fixing to know the size, thread pitch, quality etc etc... I took one off my car to show him and he instantly knew what it was. A handy bloke to know!

Ok, ordered a box of 500 of these today... total cost £24.95..... that's £4.99 per 100.
Cliff's had 100, I've had 100, so there's 300 left if anyone wants some. Post and packing per 100 will be, say a quid, so £5.99 for 100 taptites delivered ( or anyone is welcome to collect).
No worries if not... Cliff and me will split then between us

[/quote]

Ok, ordered a box of 500 of these today... total cost £24.95..... that's £4.99 per 100.
Cliff's had 100, I've had 100, so there's 300 left if anyone wants some. Post and packing per 100 will be, say a quid, so £5.99 for 100 taptites delivered ( or anyone is welcome to collect).
No worries if not... Cliff and me will split then between us[/quote]

That great Ian. I will have a hunded please (or split whatever 3 ways....)

John

Johnnyboy wrote:

Ok, ordered a box of 500 of these today... total cost £24.95..... that's £4.99 per 100.
Cliff's had 100, I've had 100, so there's 300 left if anyone wants some. Post and packing per 100 will be, say a quid, so £5.99 for 100 taptites delivered ( or anyone is welcome to collect).
No worries if not... Cliff and me will split then between us[/quote]

That great Ian. I will have a hunded please (or split whatever 3 ways....)

John[/quote]

ok John, 100 for you.....

Interesting, as I'm finding I'm gradually replacing rusty bolts one by one

Ian, I'll take 100 too, if they are still available. If you are going to be at Rotorstock I can pick them up from you there, or I can PM you my address to post (in which case PayPal or cheque to you?)

right then guys, here's the split...

500 taptites divided as follows:

100 Cliff
100 John
100 Hayden
100 Malcolm
100 Ian

I'll pm everyone re the shipping etc