We really would be screwed without fasteners. After all, nuts, bolts, and washers are what hold together your entire car and drivetrain. But other than making sure they look pretty and don't rust, no one really pays much attention to them...until they fall off. Unfortunately, because of poor selection and installation practices, all too often they do fall off, sometimes with disastrous consequences. It doesn't have to be this way: With proper selection and installation practices, you can virtually eliminate fastener failure. Check out the sidebars below to see how.
Special thanks to ARP and metallurgist Russell G. Sherman, P.E., for assistance in the preparation of this article.
