That's the point (heh) of toothed lock washers. The teeth can cut through
paint easily when properly torqued. Stick a Belleville washer over the
whole mess to preload it and it'll never come loose, either.

But wire taken to some other bolt works, too. Just twice as many junctions
to worry about. One at the relay end, the other at the bolt end.
--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
Bend, OR
KG6RCR

On 8/25/2009 4:59 PM neil N wrote:

> "rust buckets" ?
>
> Nah. That only happens back East.  <grin>
>
> Rust aside, the only virgin metal the bolts would have contacted
> would've been the edge of each hole. Each side was covered with either
> paint, and/or undercoating.
>
> Neil.
>
> On Tue, Aug 25, 2009 at 4:39 PM, mark drillock<mdrillock@cox.net> wrote:
>> Sure thing, that could work. Those rust bucket vans from CA though are
>> subject to corrosion in a way not seen so much round heah. So I suggest
>> running a wire with the chassis grounding end up where it can be seen.
>>
>> Mark
>>
>> Rocket J Squirrel wrote:
>>> Couldn't ya put a paint-cutting washer between the relay case and the
>>> chassis? An outside-star lock washer will dig its little pointy teethy
>>> things right into the metals. Properly-torqued, it will be a gas-tight
>>> connection.
>>>
>>> Like this guy:
>>>
>>> http://product-image.tradeindia.com/00119865/s/0/Star-Washer.jpg
>
>
>
> --
> Neil Nicholson '81 VanaJetta 2.0 "Jaco"
>
> http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/
>
> http://groups.google.com/group/vanagons-with-vw-inline-4-cylinder-gas-engines
>