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Loren, Anyone - Dzus Fasteners

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  • Loren, Anyone - Dzus Fasteners

    Anyone have experience with these? There seems to be a number of bases and tops (or whatever you call them) and I'm not clear as to which to use and when. Also, the online info that I Googled only shows the guy installing whatever he decided to use that day and not a general overview.

    A tutorial, PLEASE!!!!

    Dan

  • #2
    This help?



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    • #3

      I remember aircraft version. looked like a pin going through a threadless screw.
      very handy. I was looking through the dzus for my gas tank cover.. similar to airplanes.
      There is thousands of them. Spring loaded and rebuildable, cannot remember completely.
      We used to find them rattling, springs beaten at 60 below and 500 mph... 45000 feet can do that.

      on earth, should last awhile.
      Previously boxer3main
      the death rate and fairy tales cannot kill the nature left behind.

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      • #4
        I used them a bunch on motorcycle bodywork.
        Usually you only need to use the oval head studs, only under specific situations would you need to us the flush mounted studs, at least for anything that travels less than 200 mpg, lol.


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        • #5


          Ah, the magnificence of the Dzus fastener...



          There seems to be lots of pages of info out there, most is just confusing, including Southco's http://www.southco.com/en-au/d4 . These guy's seem to be one of the clearest: http://www.sracing.com/Store/Hardware_Chassis/dzus.htm Note on the Southco page that first comes up, how the studs all have a machined-down diameter, those are for the captive-type and that is clearance for the spring.

          These are not so good for shear loads, ultimate strength or anything that's going to get shifted around too much. To hold down panels, perfect.

          You can use recessed head for fiberglass or anything thick enough to accommodate, otherwise button-head for really thin stuff or just preference.. They can be captive w/ a spring plate (vastly preferred) or not...if you're fastening sheet metal, that can be dimpled w/ their special die or just by pounding an extra head into it with the appropriate round-hole backup aligned underneath. The butterfly type doesn't need a tool to undo, just some good strong fingers and a little lithium grease in there, but not for exterior panels you're going to catch your suspenders on.... Length-wise, there isn't that many available but the spring can be bent to get it right. The best way to get familiar with these might be just to stick your head into a few race cars, and buy samples.

          The above poster says "New York" but the Dzus we're familiar with was in So Cal. I was a prototype guy to one of their stamping suppliers in the nineties and did some interesting projects for them, then Southco (big guys in specialty fasteners) came along and bought them, moving everything back east again, and a deal that was lots of fun and lots of money became not fun and not profitable either so that was that.

          The only Dzus fasteners on my car are hood hold-downs, the recessed captive type. Yeah I paid full-price...
          Last edited by Loren; September 14, 2015, 02:06 PM.
          ...

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          • #6
            That poster is cool!
            I have none on my car, and many on my old race-bike.
            The hardest part is fabricating the backing plate that holds the spring in the right place. Stuff like a car hood would be relatively simple. but sometimes when dealing with compound curved fiberglass body parts gets tricky.
            The thickness isn't as important as you might think. close enough is good enough most of the time.

            Like Loren says, buy some samples. Just get started. After one or two you'll be a pro. And they are reusable if your careful.

            That PDF on the southco site is great. http://www.southco.com/static/Literature/D4.en.pdf

            I looked at the ones listed on the SRacing.com site, and those don't have a retainer ridge. That seems odd for race applications as one of the benefits to me is that when you pull a panel off, the fastener stays connected to the part.

            Last edited by mike343sharpstick; September 14, 2015, 02:19 PM.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by mike343sharpstick View Post
              That poster is cool!
              .................
              I looked at the ones listed on the SRacing.com site, and those don't have a retainer ridge. That seems odd for race applications as one of the benefits to me is that when you pull a panel off, the fastener stays connected to the part.
              The captive ones at the top have it.

              See: http://boingboing.net/tag/ad/page/5 for more great ads etc.
              ...

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              • #8
                Dan, these are well within your skill set. We use the ones that are retained by the bodywork. You can even have a bit of mis-alignment and bend the retaining wire to make it work. Just not a LOT of misalignment.
                I'm still learning

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                • #9
                  Summitt has several different types including their own O.E.M. Specialty Fasteners in the L.A. area ( Jerry Darien) also has these in stock. There are all types of designs and you can get in steel or alumnum and in different lengths., but it's pretty easy to adjust the locking wires to fit so length is not a problem a lot of the time. I went to a company called Full Bore products in Santa Ana a few years back. They are aluminum(not sure about steel), but the use an allen instead of slot screw so saves wear and scratches, etc. Makes for easy install and uninstall. Roy Fjasted owns it and he used to own SPE Engineering that used to build dragsters, etc. They do make a dimpling tool set which is a good idea if you're going to be doing a lot of these. Hope this helps!

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                  • #10
                    Thanks guys! My (limited) Googling skills didn't turn up these leads.

                    My application will be for the aluminum panel I just added to the tonneau to service the ice chest for the intercooler. Right now I have 1/4-20 Allen screws doing the job but Dzus fasteners would be quicker and more race-car like.

                    Dan

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                    • #11
                      Dan,

                      If it were me, I think for that panel on the bed, where you've already got a nice doubler plate behind it and don't really need great aero etc., I'd use these: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/mor-71470 , that's a butterfly head so you don't need a tool, and "captive" so you don't lose anything when they come apart. Those have a .45 length which are the shortest...you may need thicker depending on what the doubler plate/mounting surface is made of, they should also be available in .500 and .550. Unfortunately Summit's pages are no more help than anybody elses for actual info and comparison. It'd sure be neat to just walk up and, "click, click, click" and have that panel off.
                      ...

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                      • #12
                        I'd probably have to make a slot and mount those springs under the framework. Can be done for sure. I'll stew on this a bit.

                        Dan

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