Cotter pins

F

fordfixer

Senior Member
Just wondering what people are using for cotter pins inside the engine. I have another car in the shop for connecting rod failure, do to failed cotter pins.
Everything I can find is made in China.
 
Orig castellated nuts only use about 4 full threads. Get some ARP 300-8333 nuts and forget the cotter pins.
 
Only use genuine Nettlefolds cotter pins for Ford cars:

585741


Brad in Maryland

PS: Good luck finding them however.....:rolleyes:



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The stainless pins that Big Hammer introduced are also available at McMasters-Carr. Those pins are twice as hard as the usual steel pins.
 
Fordfixer, hard to imagine a cotter pin failing if properly sized and properly installed. Before we all start dropping our oil pans to investigate, can you relate the failure and ensuing issue you experienced. Thanks.
 
Oh, dont talk to me about broken cotter pins. I found this on the bottom of my oil pan one day.
 

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katy said:
Why do cotter pins fail?
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A few things I can think of are: inferior metallurgy resulting in premature metal fatigue, incorrect size pin required for application, improper installation, loosening of nut causing a shearing effect on the pin, installing a used pin, and centrifugal force acting against all of the above. There are probably other factors also.
 
Old 31, Those are not cotter pins (as Synchro would say, split pins) but pieces of round wire. They look like pieces of safety wire. They look like they were twisted together at some point.
 
NK, you are 100% correct. I never picked up on that; I just assumed that they were cotter pins.

OK, where in the hell did twisted wire come from? Geeeez.
 
The Wretched Roadster had the bottom few turns of the broken-off oil pump spring sitting in the bottom of the pan. Amazing how these engines will tolerate certain types of degradation without stopping.
 
old31 said:
NK, you are 100% correct. I never picked up on that; I just assumed that they were cotter pins.

OK, where in the hell did twisted wire come from? Geeeez.
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Well ya know...back on the farm when we didn't have cotter pins we used baling wire. That picture sure looks like it may be just that. On a rod nut it's less than ideal though!
 
100% original Model T's were found to have nails used instead of cotter pins in various places. There was a lot of pressure in the early days to get the cars out so an assembler would grab whatever worked.
 
The GKN advert the " Birmingham" is big English city not the one in AL .In UK cotter pin is also known as "split pin" .

John in rain showers Suffolk County England
 
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