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Loctite - Red or Blue ???

JL66REDCPE

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 15, 2003
Messages
402
Location
South Jersey
Corvette
1966 Red Cpe 427/425
I have always used Loctite Blue for threaded fasteners. This time I used Red because Blue was not available and I needed to use it like right now. Just curious as to which one you all use and why. Blue is medium strength Red is high strength.
 
I try to use red all the time but I have used blue before. Use blue only on bolts that are not life threating, for example valve covers, body panels, or similiar parts but only use red if its suspension, brakes, or similiar items. Just my .02 cents.
 
Red is almost impossible to remove without heat. Previous owner put red on the ignition shielding wingbolts on my 63. :mad I have no idea why. I destroyed four of them getting them off.

Chris
 
Don't think of red as high strength vs. blue as medium strength. Red is commonly referred to as PERMANENT and blue as REMOVABLE.

The only time I've used red is to install a reducer bushing on the top of a replacement water pump for the bypass fitting.

Brian
 
I have both too, but hardly ever use the "red" - VERY difficult to remove a fastener installed with "red". :eyerole
 
Hello
We use Blue , red and Green loctite at work. Blue is for bolts, red is for bushings and green is for sloppy bushings
Red loctite can make it real ignorant to get bolts out afterwards. Don't ever use Green on a bolt
Loctite is supposed to break free after 300* F, so hopefully you can break it free without melting something in a critical area
Small bolts with Red loctite would cause a problem as Red 63 SW stated above with his ignition shielding
If you have a larger bolt that you don't want to come loose, then Red may be the better choice, but if you heat it up to break it free, be careful not to overheat the bolt making it soft or annealed in the process
take care
Tom
 
Well here is the scoop. I had the rear jam nut on the 3rd and 4th gear shifter arm back off and the transmission ended up locked in gear. I used my homemade shifter alignment tool and put it back together this time using the red loctite on both jam nuts. For some reason, probably the wrong shifter arm as it measures short by about one inch, there are no threads sticking out the end of the arm for 3rd/4th gear meaning the forward jam nut is right at the end of the threads on the arm. I didnt want either one of them backing off again.
 
Wow, guess I am the only one using red that much, maybe I have some weak red locite. I used it on my halfshafts (bolt to the inner and outer spindles), after my powder coating was damaged I had to remove them (16 bolts) and I had no problems removing them. I also installed the 4 center bolt on the Steeriods rack unit with red locite as they recommend but decided to safety wire the 2 most inner bolts and cotter pin the 2 outer bolts so I had to remove them to drill them out for holes and again they came out with no problems. I don't use red on every bolt but I do on brakes, steering, and suspension. I also used red on the 2 piece brake hubs, and again replace the outer rotor and the came apart fine.

As for your shifter rods I would use blue.

Chuck
 
I'm a blue guy myself. Just did the 3 bolts holding the Billet Nose cover on the A/C compressor.They only go in a less then a 1/4 inch. Don't want that sucker coming off.
 
Hello
Not all bolts that we have had at work with Red loctite get stuck, but you usually know they have had red on them when you take it apart
The ones that are bad are usually due to the red loctite. It also depends how clean everything is and how much load is on your bolt( flexing). If it is a little greasy the Red won't stick as bad
There is a Loctite primer you can buy which prepares the surface. Just don't breathe it when you spray it on
If I had bolts loosening off with Blue Loctite, I would make sure I had the area very clean and used the Loctite primer first before going to Red
take care
Tom
 
I installed my header studs today with red. It's listed as high temp for fasteners and studs of 3/8 and larger and requires heat to remove them. I used ARP stainless header studs and don't forsee ever taking them out again. See picture in post 106.

Post 106



Tom
 

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