Hey all, just curious if anyone has any good practices for keeping all the bolts, washers, grommets, etc together during larger teardowns and remembering where/what it goes to.

Over the years i've tried using magnetic trays, muffin tins, sandwich bags, etc. and haven't really found a way that i really like or prefer to use each time, or that doesn't end up as a hot mess at the end of the job.

 

I've done it enough that I know what goes where.

But I still use the 1qt freezer back and will bulk package hardware based on what it's for. IE- "bottom end" for the front cover, oil pan, rear main housing, and OFH. "Accessories" for alt, w/p, pulleys, P/S and AC. Etc...

 

Sandwich bags with a label in the bag and clear-as-day sharpie on the outside. The system hasn't let me down, but I'm concerned about how it's going to work when I go to cad-plate all of the nuts and bolts. Presumably it will all be done in one batch, so it would make sense to take pictures of everything together for reference, and make a small studio to photograph each individual part (i.e. a ruler beside the part, and a dry-erase board to say what part it is). But basically, take tons and tons of pictures.

 

+1 on labeled ziplock bags. If possible, put the bolt back in what ever it came out of after separation.

 

I use large Styrofoam drinking cups, easy to label with a ball point pen and large enough to hold large bolts. As my tear down starts I start the cup collection at the back of one section of my workbench. First off is last on so the cups are in order. Since styrofoam cups are so inexpensive I throw them away after use. Sometimes a part will be held on by bolts of varying lengths. So, when I encounter this, I use a cup for each length of bolt and label where they go - been doing this for years.

 

For just a teardown hard to beat the bag and tag method with a sharpie. Certain projects after doing them enough times I just know what goes where so piles in mag trays works fine. But if youre not confident you know where everything goes you'll appreciate having things grouped and labeled and organized.

When I did my rebuild a couple years ago I inventoried everything with a massive spreadsheet of every nut and bolts thread pitch and length as well as took pictures next to a ruler for good measure. All my hardware ended up in a giant bag that I dropped off at the platers and I got it back from the platers in a giant bag as well. In a situation like that you will 100% appreciate the effort you put in prior when it comes time to sort out what you have.

 

Thanks for the inputs everyone. I'm preparing to start a timing belt change with all the other goodies while i'm in there and was worried about running out of space, etc if i try to rely on giving the parts there own special place in my magnetic tray.

Sounds like the sandwich bag trick is most common. My issue in the past was when i use the bags and the project takes more than a few days....my 3 year old daughter starts collecting the bags and then i have to rely on her to find them for me again!

 

bag and tag is easiest without leaving the house but if you have a harbor frieght in your area i like using these style organizers. they have a few different styles with different size bins.

 

I normally just thread the bolts back in to where ever they came out after you take the part off. I am pretty good about losing bags or having the bolts rip the bag and go everywhere so that method doesnt work for me.

 

Same as others have said, put bolts back where they came from if possible during tear down. Also the service manual and part diagrams characterize the bolts length, size, and thread pitch generally so you can always check to see which bolt goes where.

 

Ziplock bags and writing on the front where they go to. In the future and should have done this prior is write the torque specs on the bags to speed up the time instead of looking them up online.

 

I just used the sandwich bag method doing my clutch. Worked good for the space I had to do it in. I still had odds and ends everywhere, but it was better than nothing. Didnt lose anything at all.

 

Zip-loc's and sharpies brotha. As others have mentioned, once you rebuild it a time or two you will just know where stuff goes. Good luck.

 

cheap tackle boxes with sharpie labeling.

 

Labeled plastic bags. If there's a ton of disconnected wiring involved I'll tape and number each matching pair. Also did a flattened cardboard box, stuck bolts/screws through, then took a sharpie and drew boxes around each set of bolts and labeled. Definitely prefer ziplocs.