How I Made Radio Hanging Bolts For My 34 Ford

[34FordFabricator]

I started by turning down the shaft to 3/8" diameter for for a length of 2-7/32". Then turned the whole assembly around and cut the head to 13/16" in diameter. Notice the spigot I made on the end of the shaft. It will be for holding the work during some of the process and will be removed at the end. You can now see the work ready for threading. I threaded the shaft with a 3/8" 16 die. I used the tail stock of the lathe to hold the work so as not to put stress on the back gears. The lathe main chuck was used to keep the die going straight. After threading the shaft I turned my attention to the head. The head of the bolt was cut down to length, faced, and a taper was cut on it. This gave it the proper profile. And the last step was to mill a flat on each side of the head. Take a look at the finished product. In the past many guys have cut down carriage bolts with poor results. Notice how the head of my bolt is really beefy to support the weight of the radio. This bolt is identical to the original in every way. So I will be proud to put it on my car.
Bill Monzo