2 Stroke Racer

iTrader: (11)

Anybody do this? I want to change out my stock rod bolts for arp's.
Anyone have any tips for doing this with motor in?
I'm doing a k-member and thought it would be a good time to change bolts.
I know it can be done, just looking for tips.

96s-10ss

iTrader: (16)

If it aint broke, dont fix it. Cracked cap rods are nothing to mess with in a car. Alignment of the cap to the rod is absolutely crutial! Take the time and pull the motor when dropping the K-member

Stumbaugh

I have done a little research on this. From what I have been told, change out 1 rod bolt at a time. Do not take both off at the same time or you will need to take the engine apart and have the rods resized.

00MaroonZ28

iTrader: (3)

Save yourself time and just pull the motor, put it on engine jack, flip over, and change them out while the motor is out of the car. Like said before, one at a time. It's gonna be much easier to do it expecially since you need a measuring gauge to stretch the bolts when you torque them down. And, yes, measure. I had a friend that just tried to torque them to spec's and ended up having them come loose and mess up the bearings pretty bad.

crainholio

iTrader: (2)

Um, no. Stringing together and regurgitating magazine articles (on different engines no less)?

If you've ever assembled a cracked-cap rod you would have seen that it is nearly impossible to misalign them unless you reverse the rod cap.

Two failures people encounter after replacing rod bolts:

1.) Spun rod bearing due to reduced bearing clearances caused by the new bolts' additional clamping force. You have to pre-assemble and measure the bearing clearance, re-sizing the rods as necessary to set proper clearance.

2.) Rod knock and sometimes cap failure due to leaving the factory rod bolt ferrules in place on '97-00 engines, which prevents the new rod bolts from exerting complete pressure on the cap.

redbird555

iTrader: (14)

Agreed it would be easier out of the car but not necessary. However ARP bolts require the rod to be resized to ensure everything clamps evenly. The only bolt that can just be swapped out no issues are the katech bolts. They're about 100 bucks more than arps but if your doing it in the car and not resizing then 100 bucks sounds a lot better than 2k for a rebuild if a rod lets go with the arp.

96s-10ss

iTrader: (16)

I have replaced the stock rod bolts with arp 8740s twice. Both times with the motors out of the car and YES IT IS EASY TO MISALIGN THE CAPS! The stock bolts have small metal bushings on them that make it impossible to misalign the cap to rod. The ARP bolts do not have these so misalignment is easy to do. Read all your magazines and bench race. But I have experience

2 Stroke Racer

iTrader: (11)

Thanks for all the advice. But if I do one at a time will it really be easy to
Misalign the caps?

crainholio

iTrader: (2)

I still say it's nearly impossible to misalign the caps on a cracked-cap rod, but that statement assumes basic mechanical ability.

Doing one bolt at a time, leaving the other bolt completely torqued, it is completely impossible to misalign the caps...the cap won't budge.

Again, read the two cases I posted earlier and consider your options. Personally I'd leave the factory ones in place.

dm79

iTrader: (2)

you can do one bolt at a time with the engine in the car. drop the oil pan. replace on bolt, then the other, then rotate the engine to get at the next set. but you can only do this with KATECH rod bolts. they are the only rod bolts that do not requiring the cap to be resized.

even though people here claim they just threw in there ARP'S arp themselves state you need to have the caps resized for there bolts.

I went with katech and swapped them in myself. i spin my engine to 7k frequently

gMAG

iTrader: (1)

The last line says it all, I think.
If everything else is stock, there's not a reason to swap rod bolts. It's an over-hyped modification.
And, if you really need to, get some LS6 rod bolts. They're good enough for at least 400 rear wheel. No resizing, no chance of ruining your bearings, crank, etc.
Now, if you already have LS6 bolts, see line #1.
Been there, done this.

96s-10ss

iTrader: (16)

I had to remove the whole cap to get the stockers out because the ferrule is in there very snug.

crainholio

iTrader: (2)

Amen to that.

dirtbag

iTrader: (2)

As previous guys have said pull the motor and do it right. Removing/installing the oil pan with the motor in the car is a serious pain anyway.

garygnu

use kaltech bolts, and change only 1 bolt at a time.there is a thread with pics about changing rod bolts in the car.what yr is the engine ?

RyderTA

iTrader: (3)

I did this on my old Trans Am and it's got about 25k on it since then and the motor has over 100k on it total. I used the katech bolts and did them one at a time in a carport on a cold February night. Lol I had to lower my k member some with the engine supported but it wasn't that difficult. Torque them exactly like it says and take your time, you'll be fine. My cam in that car made power up to 7k so it's seen a ton of 7k pulls.

TransamGCS

iTrader: (2)

here is a write up enjoy:

s1tech.com/forums/generation-iii-internal-engine/675343-rod-bolt-install-write-up.html

2 Stroke Racer

iTrader: (11)

Ok, maybe I'll leave them alone. I just know that's my weakest point at the moment. I'll be making around 650 rwhp on a fully stock internal motor spinning 7000 rpm's. I've been making close to 600 rwhp for several years for the record.....

On that note, anybody got a good deal on a forged short block??

crainholio

iTrader: (2)

Maybe the rod bolts are your weakest link at that power and RPM target, but your factory lifters aren't far from there either. The kind of spring pressure you need to control a cam that can make major power at high revs isn't doing them any favors.

2 Stroke Racer

iTrader: (11)

True, but spinning a rod bearing is a lot more common than a lifter problem.
I know I'm pushing the internals beyond there intentions. But it is fun beating guys with big $$ strokers and lsx's with a stock motor.