ArKay99

iTrader: (1)

Put in the ARP Pro's. I have a lift, but I needed a way to support the motor from above. So we built a steel metal frame from a warehouse pallet rack and I went to Home Despot and bought 2 3300lb. Kevlar straps. We put the car up on the lift and wrapped the Kevlar straps around the headers and the frame top crossmember and ratcheted them up with the motor mount bolts removed. It held the motor nicely. We put a transmission jack under the bottom wishbone for each wheel to take the pressure off the spring and removed the ball joints. Next we removed the power steering system bolts, the abs bolts, and removed the hydraulic lines from the clips. After that we removed the harness from the clips at the front of the crossmember. We then removed the motor mount bolts and yanked on the harnesses holding the motor until the motor pulled up about 1/2". Next we loosened up the crossmember until 1 thread was left showing. We then removed the 4 crossmember mounting bolts and lowered the crossmember exposing the oil pan and oil pan mounting bolts. Next we removed the flywheel closeout panels and oil pan. There is one mounting bolt that was almost impossible to remove if you have Kooks headrs installed. It is recessed between to ribs and is up behind the sump section horn. I could only swing the wrench about one click at a time with a 10mm box racket between the headers and the motor mount. Slow going but I got it out after being patient and relentless. Then we removed the windage panel and pickup screen and tube.
The big moment...
I removed one bolt at a time and replaced it with an ARP bolt. I applied the ARP moly lube to the threads and bolt collar and torqued to 40lb/ft then loosened, then torqued to 40lb/ft again, then loosened, then torqued to 40lb/ft for the 3rd and final time. I repeated this for the rest of the bolts. Then went over the whole assembly a last time. I had to turn the crank for each cylinder pair so I used my torque wrench on the crank bolt. After that was finished I got out the Dremel and lengthened the pickup tube mounting bolt by 1/8". This was done because I am installing a double roller timing chain and when I remounted the tube I had my friend push the tube forward against the bolt after it was mounted and secured into the oil pump. The windage tray mounting bolts were tightened to 18lb/ft. Then I drilled out the oil pan centering rivets. You don't have to re-rivet the new pan gasket when reinstalling. Then I prepped the block to oil pan gasket mounting surface by removing all traces of the old gasket on bolth the block and the oil pan. Next I applied a 5mm by 20mm bead of RTV to the corners of the block where the front and rear covers meet the block. Next we mounted the oil pan as quickly as we could, before the RTV started to skin over. Then I reinserted the oil pan mounting bolts and tightened them to 18lb/ft and the two long rear mounting bolts to 12lb/ft. Then we reinstalled the crossmember and other components, torqueing to spec and using threadlock where required. I then removed the straps from the engine, lowered the car, put 7 qts of Redline, (it took 7 I presume because a lot of oil other than what is removed during a change was lost), and it started right up. I let the car do a heat cycle, then drove it home about 14 miles and kept it under 2k rpms. Tomorrow I'll take it out and kick it in the pants.
One thing I wonder about is I'm sure this torque spec changes when the bolts and rod are at running temp. If the bolts expand at a different rate what does that do to big end concentricity?

PREDATOR-Z

There is a thread started by j-rod, that points out the rod end circumference does change after applying higher tensile bolts.
Ideally rods should be machined with the bolts on to insure perfect roundness and tolerances.
Nice detailed description (yours)

BuckeyeROC

iTrader: (7)

Did mine several weeks ago. Numerous trips to 7100 rpm, no problems so far (knocks on wood).

felton316

Yeah, I did my rod bolts like this awhile ago, and have had no problems. I do not see how the rod would get out of round by swapping bolts, unless it was retorqued to a higher ft-lb then normal.

Lostpatrolman

iTrader: (3)

Felton, the factory bolts probably dont stretch or expand the same way the arp do with the heat and rpm.

Scalpel

iTrader: (4)

After a few engine assemblers have proven deformation for the rod ends (which need to be followed with proper machining afterwards) I would not do this mod if I had a stock bottom end. That's just my opinion based on the facts of professional assemblers.

BuckeyeROC

iTrader: (7)

Any links containing info from the engine assemblers? I searched for awhile before doing this mod, and found very little. In the end, I found that it MIGHT cause this problem, but that nobody who has actually swapped out the bolts has had problems thus far.

Might be a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" mod for us high rpm guys. Personally, I'll take my chances doing the ARP bolts than revving over 7k rpm with the stockers. Out of curiousity, what will happen if it becomes out of round? You spin a bearing or anything worse? I know what would happen if a rod bolt(s) gave out.

Scalpel

iTrader: (4)

I'm quoting Jason99 T/A:

Jarrod, I have checked the housing bore on the rods before and after the rod bolt install (ARP Pro-series bolts). There is some definite deformation after the new bolts are installed. Every motor we build with stock rods has the housing bore re-sized .002" larger than stock to accept a new, oversized bearing from Clevite for this very reason.

I can't remember off the top of my head exactly how much out-of-round the rods went after the new bolts, but I do have it all info written down. I can get this once I'm done with school today.

Jason