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I made the mistake of ordering regular steel French locks from one of the corvette vendors. Even with grease under the head of the flange bolt, they twist and wad up before i can get the bolts torqued to spec. So for now I’ve used blue lock tight and lock washers.
I see that there are stainless steel French locks available. Do any of you have firsthand experience with them? I don’t want to pull everything apart just to go through the frustration of having another set of French locks wad up on me.
Or am I good with the blue lock tight and lock washers? Should I use longer bolts to make up for the thicker lock washer vs french lock?
The last time I tried the steel locks was over 15 years ago. They got to about 45 ft/lb and twisted around the bolt. went with SS,, lubed under the head, bent the link down, torqued to 70-75 if I recall correctly no issue. HD lock washers and Loctite work too, I use the red, #271.
I put the stainless French locks on my car. None of the twisting and wadding you describe. I bought the stainless because I didn’t want them to rust, not because I thought they were stronger. But I guess that’s an added benefit, hearing about your issue. Hard to see, but they are in there.
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French Locks
