Nut and bolts ..... what are guys using?
I'm looking for a good assortment like a kit or something.
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I generally source good used- either out of my collection (I'm a long time VW guy and have a bit of stuff hoarded away) or will try to find something I'm looking for at the local VW shows, from friends in the hobby, and I still belong to the local VW club, which is populated with people like me. There is also an online VW forum that a lot of local enthusiasts frequent, and if all else fails, there are a couple of fastener/nut/bolt specialty places.
I've never seen any assortments or kits, although that would be cool- "every new nut and bolt you need to put your (insert year) Beetle back together!". It wouldn't be original German hardware, though...
Some say there was a fastener kit as option on CMC but don't see it listed. Harbor Freight has a couple small plastic containers with small stainless steel nuts/bolts and screws. Bought several when 20% off. I used SS to attach body to pan but probably overkill as the SS would probably gaul if I tried to remove. A stash of old VW metric stuff would be God send! Wish I had a tumbler to clean up old rusty stuff.
Like Al, I have a lot of old nuts, bolts, and washers left over from previous projects. However, when I was doing my build, I found that Ace or Lowes had many of the things I needed either in their standard bins or in their specialty trays. McMaster-Carr is my go-to for things I can't find locally. https://www.mcmaster.com/bolts/
If the bolt has to handle a lot of stress, make sure to buy high grade bolts so they don't shear off.
https://www.boltdepot.com/fast...olt-Grade-Chart.aspx
Finally, stainless fasteners won't rust (much), but they're more brittle than regular nuts and bolts, and they often seize together if you don't put anti-seize on the threads. This is likely to occur when you are upside down under the dashboard where it's difficult to get a cutoff tool so you can start over. My, that was a very precise example, wasn't it...
Looking forward to following your progress!
@Michael Pickett posted:... This is likely to occur when you are upside down under the dashboard where it's difficult to get a cutoff tool so you can start over. My, that was a very precise example, wasn't it...
Your imagination never ceases to amaze me, Mike! 
I also use my local ACE affiliate hardware store, but I know that not all ACE stores are created equal, meaning that yours in Port Richie may not have as much in the fastener aisle. You can ask around of people who have boats and see where they get their hardware, too. I tried to use Metric where ever I could, just to stay consistent between the pan and body - That pays off in the long run.
I second McMaster-Carr, as well as Bell-Metric (that's a link) up here in New England. Both offer quick delivery. Fastenal is good, too, but they really cater to businesses so you must buy a lot of anything for them to work with you. For something like the body-to-pan bolts, they would be great. I have several boxes of Fastenal bolts that I needed maybe 10 and had to buy a box of 50 to get them right now. And like NAPA, it makes a big $$$ difference with them if you're buying for a business, rather than an individual. And don't forget our old stand-by, Amazon and/or eBay.
Or, if you have an Echo Dot, just ask "Alexa".
Just say: "Alexa - Where can I buy Metric fasteners near me"?
Honest - It works. She is connected to the internet, after all.
Doing build's I source SAE hardware by the pound at Tractor Supply, buy an 8 x 1.25 assortment of nuts and bolts off eBay etc, Cheese head engine screws eBay and the odds and metric at Ace Hardware where you will pay dearly.
Building a car by buying 1 bolt at a time does get pricy. Cheese head? I thought that was someone from Wisconsin. I bought SS hex button head screws for engine tins off guy on SAMBA. They look great and slots don't get chewed up like normal ones.
Wow! "Old School" VW fan shroud screws!
So a little about me.... airhead since 14, first VW. IT career, always a project in the garage, many 356, 912, 911s, raced a bit with one of my 912s. My last job at Suncoast Autowerks in Tarpon ended last month. Had to have something to do in retirement LOL. Saw the Speedster FS local for cheap so now this is what I'm doing, besides maintaing my old house. At Suncoast the owner bought the Wurth fastener kits and they were very nice. I live in Pasco Co Fla, VW show in Nov and that is where I plan to buy any bits and parts I need. I built a CMC Speedster in the 90's later I may post some old pics from that build. Thanks again for the great info guys, you all are awesome.
Aha, another expert added to our collection. Welcome Andy!
The difference in quality from German OEM to replacement modern stuff is abismal; even the color of the steel is different. If you can keep and clean and reuse this hardware, so much the better. I can remember how stupid we were back in the '80's throwing away OEM parts and replacing by shiny and chromed out aftermarket stuff that was no match in quality. Live and learn....
I just got some stuff from theboltdepot.com
They are in MA. I did an online order on Monday, the box came two days later. They ship UPS, so it's quick. I think I paid 4 cents a washer and 7 cents for each bolt. I needed some new hardware to attach the bodywork on my Formula Vee.
I bought 40 small washers, 40 lock washers, 20 small fender washers, 20 large fender washers, 20 3/4" long bolts, and 20 1" bolts. All 10-32 stuff. It was $30 shipped for all of it.
I'm very happy with their prices and service.
I have used Bolt Depot too.
I just bought a bunch of washers, including wavy ones, from Amazon.
I just bought 12 nuts from Gene Berg and the shipping was a killer. That is one advantage of Amazon Prime or local sources.
The nuts I bought from Berg were the special ones for intake manifolds and exhaust systems that take smaller wrench sizes. Currently, I have a mixture of ones that use a 10mm wrench and others that use a 3/8" wrench. I wanted them all to be 10mm.
I did eat some mixed nuts today.
@Michael McKelvey posted:I did eat some mixed nuts today.
Considering the group we're in, wouldn't that be considered cannibalism?
I used a lot of stainless hardware on my car. I learned the hard way that I should not have ignored the hardware store's admonition to use anti-seize on them.
I had a big nut and bolt seize up in a difficult-to-reach place.