Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners and Plumbing Handbook

...This book is indispensible. It's written for the race car driver who does at least a little bit of their own fabrication. And that's almost any club driver, and many entry-level pro drivers. Making sure additions to the car stay put, supsension bits adequately bear their loads and stresses, and repairing these things in a pinch, is no small part of winning races.This book doesn't explain everything ther is to know about fasteners. And it isn't dripping with technical detail; ...But this book does provide something more valuable: explanations. It looks at a couple dozen of the most popular fasteners in each category and explains why a fabricator or mechanic would or would not want to use them. Carroll uses his incredible experience and approachable, conversational writing type to discusses their strengths and weaknesses, applications, and design.I think the book isn't limited to racing applications; it's useful for anyone who works metal, and will offer something of value to anyone who's ever tried to replace a fastener in an emergency. Were you overwhelmed when you went through the fastener aisles in your local hardware store or home supply center? This book can help.The book is a little weak in two areas. First, there's few pages devoted to plumbing. Of course, this is about real plumbing: laying lines and connecting them with pressure-tight fasteners. It explains Army-Navy fasteners and their applications, and discusses all the subtleties of pipe flange fitting. The book isn't about stopping a leak behind your toilet.Next, the book is showinng its age. It doesn't treat some of the materials that were not exactly commonplace ten or more years ago, but are quite common now. For instance, I can buy titanium lug bolts for my car. (Well, I could, if I had a spare $500 lying around.) Carroll doesn't make much mention of the more interesting alloys being used more commonly in fasteners these days. He also doesn't spend much time discussing the material to be fastened: holding down a carbon fiber body panel is different than getting the same bit fabricated from fiberglass to hold. Some of the illustrations look like they were drawn by a plotter 20 years ago: terrible resolution, confusing lines, poor perspective. Freshening some of the illustrations would be a real shot in the arm for the book.Those shortcomings withstanding, I can't give this book less than five stars. Mr. Smith's incredible reputation and outstanding experience hold up a dry subject, and give the reader more background than a broader (or deeper) technical reference ever could.

While there is plenty of third party citing, this is not just an engineering manual. The author uses/understands the hardware and fittings he talks about. Often provides experience of when to use what, where.

This book contains a great deal of useful and practical information (with some science and design theory) on the appropriate selection and correct application of threaded fasteners. Obviously, the author expresses his experience w/ fasteners in automotive racing to illustrate points and reinforce recommendations. Those involved w/ the design, service, or repair of rotating machinery, vehicles, or even structures, might find this book very interesting. For an engineer, it is likely a good complementary reference to have in addition to Machinery's Handbook (w/ coverage largely of fastener dimensional data & design standards) and a typical machine design handbook (w/ bolt and joint design theory).Note: Some references cited in the 1990 printing of the book appear to be out-of-date or are no longer available - perhaps it is time for a second edition.

Very interesting read by a very knowledgeable author. It gets a bit technical in places, but there is a lot of good information.

Screw to Win, or Nuts, Bolts, Fasteners, and Plumbing HandbookFriends and other gearheads have recommended I get this book for over 10 years. I finally decided to order it and wow, does it deliver! It is probably a one-stop shop for learning about different fasteners and plumbing systems used in racing applications that can also be applied on the street.The discussion on Ford ring gear bolts was very interesting namely because I ran into a situation several years ago where people told me to buy new ring gear bolts because they stretch or wear out. However, Carroll Smith insists that the Ford bolts are definitely re-usable although Ford Racing parts does sell a kit for about $10-$20 that have the Loctite pre-applied. If you're doing a ring gear change, differential swap, or some other project - getting a new set of bolts locally isn't a bad idea.The discussion of Loctite's products was also informative, although I might disagree about storing threadlocker in an environment that has as much airflow as possible. If the threadlocker goes bad due to lack of airflow, then they wouldn't sell them in airtight packaging. I found that threadlocker only cures when in the presence of metal and lack of air (such as bolt threads). It remains fluid or semi-fluid in plastic containers.In any case, if you are a gearhead or know someone who enjoys working on cars or motorcycles, this book would be a great gift.Overall: 5/5 stars

Everything you ever will need to know about nuts and bolts and fasteners in general.

Great reference book for people who like to use accurate materials. This is a really good read. A great reference for those who understand hardware.

Book covers more than the simple basics. It answers questions most DIYers have regarding fasteners use and re-use.Good read.

Tanti anni di esperienze distillati in un libro molto pratico, imperdibile!

my husband was very pleased with this book he had borrowed one off of a friend and found it very useful hence why we purchased this for ourselves

Good condition as advertised.