Hello List - I have some important information that I want to pass along for all interested parties regarding a bent bolt that was found at a tech session in the midwest last spring. The bolt was one of my bolts, and had been installed by the owner. If the owner wishes to add anything to this post, he is welcome to (he is a highly regarded member of this list). The information that I was given was that the installation was done with new "large" flat washers obtained from one of the DeLorean vendors, and that he had put something close to 20,000 miles on the bolts, including hitting some rather significant potholes. The car's owner noted that the new flat washers were worn nearly half way through the thickness where the sleeves through the trailing arm and bushings contact them. The bent bolt was eventually sent back to me for evaluation. I sent it to the original manufacturer in order to verify that there was nothing defective about the bolt, or the materials used to make it. I received the manufacturer's formal written report yesterday. The bolt was sent to an independent testing laboratory, where it was tested to ultimate tensile failure to verify material tensile properties, tested in double shear to verify ultimate shear strength properties, and tested for Rockwell hardness to see if there were any variations in hardness in the bent area of the bolt. The bolt failed at a tensile load of 31,603 lbs, which translates to a tensile strength of 245,360 PSI. The shear strength (using standard double shear tests) of the bolt was 265,580 PSI, with a peak load at the breaking point of 45,489 lbf. To get the single shear stress values, you divide the double shear stress values by two, giving you a shear strength value of 132,790 PSI in single shear. The minimum values for this grade of inconel are 220,000 PSI (tensile) and 125,000 PSI (shear), so the material was well above the minimums. The Rockwell hardness values were all in the range of 47.15 - 47.97 Rc in the deformed area of the bolt. What the heck does all of this mean? The TOBY-TAB bolt is incredibly strong, but even it can't survive in a loose joint where the washers have worn significantly. The impact loads and general pounding that the parts of the trailing arm connection take on rough roads and during performance driving will eventually bend any bolt that is installed there, even mine. The stock, or even "improved" bolts don't stand a chance in this environment. Bottomline - The TOBY-TAB is the best that can be had, but you must still ensure that all of the parts in the joint, including washers and sleeves, must be hard enough to resist wear, and the tightness of the joint must be maintained through normal maintenance. I am looking into a new flat washer material that I think will solve this wear problem, but the cost may be nasty. I will keep the List apprised of any further developments. As always, I welcome all of your input into this issue. Thank you for your support of the launch of this new company. Toby Peterson VIN 2248 DeLorean Parts Northwest, LLC Winged1