Bolts! Chrome or powdercoat them?

Which is the best to do and why? I'm going all the way through my 78 and since it has snowballed from fixing a base gasket leak into a complete engine rebuild, new paint, new powdercoat, new chrome and so on I don't want to put it back together with the ratty old bolts. I'm shying away from polishing them because I do'nt want to have to polish bolts and nuts and I don't think just blasting them will look any better than just leaving them grimy. So what's a guy to do? What's the best way to handle the fastener dilemma? Just for an idea the body is going to be blue with a pearl coat, the frame and swinger and fork legs will be wet black powder and the calipers, brake arm, clutch, brake, shifter, brake pedal, and kicker chrome. So what would you do with the bolts?:huh:

Make them chrome!!!! When you put them on against the black pieces it'll really make them pop.

Is there a good source for them in chrome or do I just have to take mine to get them chromed?

I know you can buy allen headed bolt kits for motors to replace all of those philips head bolts which are either chromed or look alot like chrome. I got my kit from Z1 and it had every bolt in the right size that I needed. It's so much easier to use the allen heads too. As for the other bolts I'm sure you could source them but I don't know of anywhere off hand.

I'd reassemble it, take some high quality paint, (VHT) spray it in a cup, take a brush and paint em, get close to your powdercoat color
chrome is overrated
I got chrome on my chopper
I wish i didnt

Forget chrome, that's to much work!

Polished stainless steel bolts, available from lots of places, including the sets sold by Z1. You can also buy single bolts in various sizes for use on the frame, including the acorn nuts on the shocks, pegs, and brake pedal.

Guy in WI or MN sells them on eBay, pretty sure I have his e-mail address somewhere if you want to PM me.

Forget powdercoating bolts, I think wrenching them tight will scar them up. I would go with raw stainless fasteners where you can. Chrome will pit and rust eventually.

Polished stainless is always nice.
Chrome is nice. I just had this done for $75. From a friend.
22 bolts, 2 brake arms, 2 - Z1 rear pegs. The peg washers and clevis pins are polished stainless.
The Z1 tree is powdercoated. I goofed, it is gloss, not satin. I had it done when I did a set of KZ engine covers.
Do it! Spend $$!! Your bat, your ball!
Playin with a new camera, flash went off, picture shows more than your eye sight! WTF?

z1kzonly wrote:

Polished stainless is always nice.
Chrome is nice. I just had this done for $75. From a friend.
22 bolts, 2 brake arms, 2 - Z1 rear pegs. The peg washers and clevis pins are polished stainless.
The Z1 tree is powdercoated. I goofed, it is gloss, not satin. I had it done when I did a set of KZ engine covers.
Do it! Spend $$!! Your bat, your ball!
Playin with a new camera, flash went off, picture shows more than your eye sight! WTF?

Too big pic!
New cam.
Another try.

z1kzonly wrote:

...The Z1 tree is powdercoated. I goofed, it is gloss, not satin. I had it done when I did a set of KZ engine covers....

Could try rubbing compound to dull the finish.

Or spray with satin clear, or satin black.

Good Fortune!

Stainless Steel all the way,
Shitcan all phillip headed fasteners.
Use thread lubricant anywhere the bolts thread into aluminum.(The old ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure plan):laugh:

I just did my bike with all new stainless allen bolts.looks pretty sweet against the black.only bolts not replaxced were the motor mounting bolts. i did put them on the buffer and they shined up like new.I just went to my local bolt store and bought it all.pretty much everything for around 40 bucks.