13 replies to this topic

[David Beard]

I think of the quarter turn Dzus fastener (the one with the countersunk head and “S” shaped spring attached to the chassis) as a classic motor sport thing, although I am aware that the company makes all sorts of fasteners for all sorts of purposes.



One of the things that I noticed about the Kieft GP car when it made it’s debut last year was that it uses the Dzus fasteners all over the place to retain the bodywork. Was their use commonplace by 1954? The company started in 1932 in the USA and 1938 in the UK, so I suppose they could have been.

Who first used them for the retention of body panels?

[Ray Bell]

Wasn't there an article on them in Motor Sport?

If so, that would have spelled out their earliest usage.

Probably a good way to find out would be to check on the V16 BRMs...

[Eric McLoughlin]

Their factory is just afew miles down the road from me on an industrial estate in Farnham. My Caterham Seven's nose cone is held on with Dzus fasteners.

[Rainer Nyberg]

They held various (non load-bareing) panels on pre-WWII airplanes. I guess that was their original use. They are still in use today on light aircraft and helicopters.

[Gary C]

and just how DO you pronouce it???

[2F-001]

I've always said 'zeus' or 'zooce' but I'm well prepared to be corrected...
I have them in precisely the same application as Eric, but as yet have never needed to replace them, so the pronunciation has only been an academic issue, thus far!

[Ross Stonefeld]

We allways pronounced them 'zeus'

I spent a winter interning as a race mechanic and those things gave me a nightmare. They were actually brilliant to use but in one case they were my biggest and most annoying project. We had an 84(?) Van Diemen and one of the chassis crossbars in the nose area was a bit bent so when the plastic nosecone was attached it didnt set right. So I spent what must have been half a week trying to balance having the bar be even, the nose fit properly to the rest o the bodywork, and not have the zeus fasteners sit flush with the bodywork on either side

[rdrcr]

'd Zeus' - is the way I've always pronounced the fastener when ordering them... I haven't been corrected yet... Mainly because that's the way I heard everybody else saying the name...

The fastener application was largely used used for aircraft starting in 1932 when William Dzus built the 1st quarter turn fastener. The Dzus Company

Now I would imagine that some creative and resourceful racing mechanic would have caught on to those trick fasteners not too much later. But when and where would be the big question.

[David Beard]

Maserati had stylish ideas of their own with regard to body panel retention, it seems....no off the shelf common-place stuff here.

(Although they might be Cameron Millar equivalents, I suppose)

[David McKinney]

I've probably heard 'dzuss' (to rhyme with fuss) and 'dzooce' (as in juice) in equal proportions

[Ray Bell]

Forgive me David for asking...

Did you live in New Zilland? I don't think I've ever heard any pronunciation other than 'dzeus'.

[eldougo]

ZOOCE ---- is the right pronunciation i believe.;) Great when they are
fitted correctly but a bugger when there a bit out or OLD , Them an Race Tape where
would we have been without them.

[rdrcr]

... the bottom line...

I called the company here in Orange County to see how they say their name...





The "d" is silent, so we stand corrected, though some of their distributors also stand in that line.



:

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by rdrcr
.....I called the company here in Orange County to see how they say their name.....

Dedication, Richard, sheer dedication...