Educate me on Dzus fasteners

[Crosley.In.AZ]

I have a few panels in my 1948 Simca drag race car that need to be removable. I figure dzus fasteners..  Or is there another method?

Simple flat panels. 18 gauge sheet metal.  Will cover the rear area of the car where the battery and fuel cell are located.

I have never installed these fasteners.

[WZ JUNK]

We used them on the Studebaker we ran at Bonneville.  I found that the ones that use the Allen wrench were far superior to the slotted type.  Different companies offer these.  There are jigs to help you align and mount the springs that they lock into.  I like them for race cars.  I made a simple tool to adjust the springs that sets the tension when they lock the Dzus in place.  I can post a picture of it should you decide to use them.

If you have specific questions, just ask.

[kb426]

There are dome head, flat head, small button designed for light body panels. Different springs to correlate to material thickness. Due some research and get the right ones for your application. I used flat head on the dragsters. I made a countersink that was 2 pieces held together by a 3/8 bolt. The shank on the standard fastener is right at 7/16" so you can use the 3/8"s as a pilot and run a step drill through it to clean it up. There are a couple of different style plates that you weld to the chassis. I bought straight ones and if I needed an offset, I bent them in the brake so the panel would clear the weld. I would use a punch to countersink where the spring is riveted to the plate so it was flat where the panels would fit flush. They aren't cheap but there are really good to use. That's why all the race cars have them.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

I have  been looking at dzus designs.  Seems like the style that the screw is spring loaded and attached to the panel would be good idea..

The panels I want removable are at the rear of the interior. A loose screw retainer would likely fall down and under the car as I removed the panel.

Or:  does that design not work well in real life??

[Charlie Chops 1940]

I used a lot of them on my track roadster. I like the ones with th attached spring becaus3 the fastener stays with the panel
I used the slotted head...it works fine for low use. The Allen heads on the Stude were great because we took panels on and off a lot.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

I ordered some  dzus parts.  Spring loaded with tabs , plates, wire springs.  I verified a few  times the sizes were matching  so the parts should work together.

[Pete]

I have always used Airloc fasteners because they are easier to install. All they require is a hole in the panel. No special tools..