I've used stainless nuts and bolts on my exhaust for years and have found
it makes things 100% easier.  I haven't had problems with galling and am
not sure its really possible to have problems with galling if you use a
good nickel based anti-seize.

In the meantime, I've watched the non-stainless studs corrode to the point
where some can barely hold a nut (yes they are quite old).  Unlike the nuts
and bolts, the studs aren't a disposable fastener.  I figure this makes it
especially crucial to have them be long lasting

I guess an alternative would be some sort of "grease cap" for the studs,
although I've never seen anything like that.

On Mon, Apr 30, 2012 at 8:11 PM, Mike S <mikes@flatsurface.com> wrote:

> On 4/30/2012 6:19 PM, pickle vanagon wrote:
>
>> (I actually am thinking that even if I wanted to keep the studs, I'd
>> prefer
>> to have stainless studs in which case I'd be removing these studs
>> anyways.)
>>
>
> Why? In my experience, although SS exhausts are great, SS hardware
> anywhere near an exhaust is asking for trouble.  You won't be able to get
> as much clamping force as with steel, given the same size stud.
> It tends to gall and lock up tight when torqued, and then you've ruined
> both the nut and the stud, and have a bigger problem than just removing a
> nut.
>
> The best studs I've run into were on the cat flange of an older Toyota
> Previa - some sort of hardened steel. After 150K, the nuts were corroded to
> where they weren't even hex shaped (removed with a Dremel cutoff wheel and
> cold chisel), but the studs were in perfect shape, no corrosion at all. I'd
> like to know what they were made of.
>
> IMO, just get some copper nuts to use with the steel studs if you're
> concerned with future ease of removal.
>