Teach me about Dzus fasteners

Part of my rebuilding the trailer for my little sailboat has me contemplating making the trailer look as vintage as the boat itself (because both were built in 1964) and I was going to use reproduction MGA lights with LEDs on glassfibre fenders. Because even "sealed" trailer lights die when exposed to saltwater, I was going to make the fenders (with the lights attached) removable so I could dunk the trailer with little to no worry about ruining expensive parts.

Does the hive think that Dzus Fasteners would work well in this application? I was thinking 6 per fender, two at the front of the wheel, two at the very top, and two at the trailing edge.

Dzus or camloc fasteners can work, but nutplates with some threaded fasteners are cheap, and if you’ve got a cordless drill/driver, almost as fast. 

You may also have to fiddle the dzus or camlocs install without some special tools. 

In reply to mad_machine :

 Nope not strong enough. Go ahead ask me how I know

I didn't realize that dzus fasteners just use a spring to hold the bolt in place. what about Cloc and the other aerospace 1/4 turn bolts? It seems if they can hold a cowling closed on a plane at several hundred miles an hour, they should be able to hold a fender onto a trailer that won't ever see more than 70mph, especially one that will never be in direct contact with the wind stream, but tucked under my boat and behind my Disco?

PIP pins.

As long as you design it so the fasteners are not overloaded it should work. I would be making 4-5 fender mounts that stick out from the trailer. As long as you have enough mounts that the fender will actually sit on them without the fasteners and the dzus fasteners are just clamping  the fender to the mounts, you should be fine. Summit racing was where I got mine for my dwarf car. They sell their own which are a good deal

Fasten a tube horizontally to the inside lip on the front and the back of the fender, then weld a rod to the frame; fender slides off.  No fasteners to wobble loose or break.

In the past I had some issues with the original, slotted head style Dzus fasteners coming out.  I now use the Panelfast fasteners with the Allen key heads.  They seem to engage on the springs a lot better.  I use them to hold the body on my sports-racer and I've never had one come loose.

Another vote for PIP pins. Might be as much fab work as Dzus but one button push removal w/ no tool. Tether w/ aircraft wire. Replace pins w/ bolts and lock washers for permanent install.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-g1644

get these ones^

no tools required and there are no loose parts to fall in the ocean

their weld on plates make mounts easy

Why not rubber latches like on Wrangler hoods? Seems they'd be easier to operate than a dzus and a bit more durable for trailer use. Slots on frame or pin/tub like Dan(? I think? 914Driver)  said to locate, and these secure.

In reply to bluej :

One million times this. 

bluej said:

Why not rubber latches like on Wrangler hoods? Seems they'd be easier to operate than a dzus and a bit more durable for trailer use. Slots on frame or pin/tub like Dan(? I think? 914Driver)  said to locate, and these secure.

 

 

I would use this too. Lots of rubber latches available with mounts on the web. A lot cheaper than the wrangler latches I would assume.

If you don't like Dzus that take a flat head screwdriver, you can get some with square holes as used on the Triumph TR-3 and buy the T wrench to use them - fits in with the vintage feel (TR-3s used the same tail lights as MGA 1500).