bleeder screws - rant

[jzjames]

Went to find a set of decent brake bleeder screws at the FLAPS. Unbelievably cheap, chintzy, small things available at NAPA, Autozone, or Oreilleys. (all the same part..Taiwan!!)

I mean, this is for a TRUCK, and all they offer is the cheapest smallest hardware they could possibly make. They would fold right up the first time you tried to use them for what they were meant to do.

Is this how it is in 2016? Drive a new car or forget about it???

[Subzero]

I feel your pain entirely. Parts are cheaply made without a care for quality, just sell em and sell more when those break. I've bought some and the actual nut part of the bleeder was 50% less surface area than the original. Even new cars are pretty much disposable things, you wouldn't believe what kind of design some of the new Fords have I work on . And only a few suppliers actually make the parts. They then sell the new car parts to multiple manufacturers in their own version. "Plastic makes it possible"

[fastEdsel]

When it gets down to bleeder screws I wouldn't even go to a NAPA or others. I am finished with NAPA. I still have better luck with CARQUEST and even better with cruising through a pick a part junkyard and remove a bleeder screw from another truck, or older car for that matter. I am in the process of restoring a 1956, 1700 series Chevrolet 3 ton truck, LT1 350, 4 speed, two speed rear axle. I did all the brakes and the rears have two brake cylinders, upper and lower. The cylinders are both Wagners and have good casting numbers. The truck is in Canada, the rear axle is made in the USA. The electric 2 speed axle is used on Ford, GM, International and a host of other medium duty trucks. However I found out from my Montana CARQUEST dealer that the cylinders have one part number but two parts, Canadian is metric and the US is SAE. The word "metric" wasn't even invented in 1956 so wtf? However the bleed screws on the replacement cylinders are substantial and very nice to use. AND the power brakes on this old truck are now substantial! Also, IMHO, if a vehicle is ever involved in an accident and the vehicle is found with substandard bleed screws, the insurance would most likely not be any good.