At 12:45 AM 4/14/2011, neil n wrote:
>I guess it just seemed strange that one nut came off easily, fit back
>on w/o any typical lock nut "tension", the other was a little messed
>up.

It could have been a Wrong Part and you've been riding around on an
undertorqued grade 4.4 nut all this time.  Or maybe they changed
their minds about that nut the way they did about the axle nut, when
they raised the torque spec from ?250? lb-ft plus one slot to 360
lb-ft plus one smaller slot, still a remarkable increase.

While you're up there you might see what they're getting for the
pointless anti-theft-if-you've-never-heard-of-Vise-Grips shear bolts
for the steering column.  Was $8 each around 1998 or so.  Might make
you feel better about the other ones.

Incidentally 10.9 is getting on toward spring temper.  I parted off
some 1/2"-20 SAE grade 8 bolts which are roughly similar, and ended
up with a tightly wound chip about an inch and a half long.  I can
stretch it over double length without any permanent deformation.

Yrs,
d