Jeep Nuts Metric or Std

I've found my jeep to a mishmash of metric and imperial sizes. So far on what I've done wrenching wise to the Jeep I find the smaller stuff has been mostly SAE sizing and the larger things have been metric. Use whatever fits the best on the piece and go with that.

The short answer is no. Not all domestic cars are metric. You should hold the Jeep closer to the computer so we can see what year it is. Although "Domestic" means "produced in a certain country" (obviously America in this useage) , it may be made of 80% or more imported parts. My 68 Jeepster is all "Standard". My 89 Cherokee is a mix of "Standard" and "Metric" . Two of my Marysville,Ohio built "domestic" Honda motorcycles are all "Metric" and have a higher percentage of "American made" parts than new Harleys. One of my British bikes is "Standard" the other is "Whitworth". Just to make it more confusing, if you are a machinist you are probably aware that there are different types of "Metric" threads requiring different tooling or techniques to reproduce.

2002 TJ Yes - the different threads are a PITA as well. I had to go to a hardware store to get a nut for my Honda motorcycle last summer. Insane. It makes everyone everywhere have to buy all sets of tools. More money in "Their" pocket....

FWIW, I get out 2 sets of tools for any problem and put a plastic garbage can lid under the hood (or close by) so I can fill it with hardware and tools as I work. When I get finished, I just put the tools away and dump the old parts in the garbage.

On really old rusty hardware I just pick whatever size out of both sets of tools that fits best.

I try to keep everything arranged in order to avoid mixing the hardware. And yes, I have gone out to buy replacement hardware and realized that I got the right size with the wrong thread. I like to take the old part with me to check. I thought this was just a Canadian problem, but ran into this on vehicles made in USA.

Merrill

snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote:

The transition to metric has taken a long time and is not yet complete. Worse, "standardization" hasn't done that much to get manufacturers to agree on anything. Whenever they can find an excuse to make a part to different standards, they all cheerfully do so.

Earle

I just did my sway bar links a month ago and you are right about the 18 MM. I had to go out and buy one as I had 17 and 19 but not 18 in my set. :( Do yourself a favor and stop into a local Harbor Freight and for about $16 you can buy a digital 6 inch caliper. Then when you aren't sure if something is metric or sae, just throw the caliper on it and you will know for sure. For a few bucks you will find these things one of the handiest tools in your garage. Some of the metric sizes are real close to sae in reference to wrench size, it's hard to tell sometimes if you have the right wrench in hand or not. I've been working as a machinist for almost 30 years and we still get the Machinery Handbook out to look up thread systems, there are pages and pages of thread specs listed. Hope you are taking the sway bar right out of the Jeep to install the new ones, it's so much easier to do on a bench with a vise. Mine were on a TJ and the bar came out no sweat. Les '01 TJ

Of course the European standards for "suggested" bolt sizes from the

60's and 70's did not > The transition to metric has taken a long time and is not yet complete.

The transition is complicated by observing that a 1/2 inch may fit some

13mm nuts better than a 13mm will. Don't most decent toolsets just mix metric and inch sizes these days?

Earle Horton proclaimed:

Buy a transitional era british sports car where you can enjoy whitworth, sae, and metric all within inches of each other.

RoyJ proclaimed:

:)

The Jeep is bad enough SAE, Metric, and Torix

L> Buy a transitional era british sports car where you can enjoy whitworth,

Hm, I dunno about this "transition". Ever been by an aircraft hangar?

On the other hand, I'd give a king's ransom for some degree of uniformity amongst fasteners on one vehicle, let alone multiple manufacturers.

Jon

(BTW thanks to those who helped with some tire and tech q's, the TJ survived a run out to Ocotillo just fine...)

Earle Hort> The transition to metric has taken a long time and is not yet complete.