yep, hardware is a real crapshoot these days. I inherited a big upright steel cabinet with 100 drawers in it from my father-in-law. about half the drawers were filled with various automotive clips, screws, nuts and bolts. the boxes don't have a manufacturer's label, just a number and a picture of the fastener. Its from a friend of his who owned an auto parts store that shut down in the late 80s and the stuff likely dates to the mid 70s to then. Between that and my own bins from working on cars for the last 30 years, i rarely have to buy. if i can dig it up in the garage, i know it's quality.
BTW --- my steering rack arrived ....temptation! But it's not going on or getting modded until everything is ready for it.
