smoothzee

Greetings!,
Can anyone tell me if it is possible to replace rod bolts without removing the enginel, and if so, what kind/brand of bolts would be yield the best results. Thankx.

TS6

iTrader: (41)

Its possible, do a search, its been discussed with varying opinions on the matter.

SideStep

GuitsBoy

iTrader: (4)

Can be done. Requires unbolting motor mount(s) and jacking up the motor. Possibly requires removing intake manifold for added clearance under cowl. Once motor is raised, you can remove oil pan and get to the rod bolts. This will likely be a major pain in the ***.

TT_Vert

iTrader: (12)

i think you should resize a rod whenever you replaced the OEm bolts w/ ARP. at least make sure they are still round.
Dave

smoothzee

Good morning fellow "gear heads":>)!
from what I have read on some of the posts is that Katech makes a rod bolt that is essentially a super strong cap screw which would not deform the rod ends when torqued properly. It was explained that the the reason for the deformation of the rod ends when installing ARP bolts is that the heads are shaped like the oem bolts and they tend to deform the shoulders of the rod, right at the head of the bolt. Any opinions are appreciated....Thankx!

TT_Vert

iTrader: (12)

id call arp personally. I've always heard to resize after using an ARP bolt but perhaps the ls1 cracked rod is different.

Cal

iTrader: (1)

There are two types of ARP rod bolts; the "Pro" type is the kind that is most likely to distort the rod.

Katech rod bolts were designed by Katech in conjunction with GM for the ASA racing series and are specifically designed to go in without resizing. They are expensive though; over $9 each. I'm running them now with no problems; rev limit at 7000 rpm, and I missed a shift once and forced it way beyond that.

I installed mine with the motor out of the car. It's very easy to drop the motor from the bottom if you have all the right tools and equipment.