TTY Bolt Question
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 299
Likes: 21
From: Phoenix, AZ
TTY Bolt Question Hi all,
I was working on a cylinder head swap last night and proceeded with torquing down the bolts in the initial torque sequence of 22 ft lbs. After the initial sequence, I hooked up my angle gauge and went to set it at 90 degrees when my gauge binded and didnt move. This is the first time Ive ever used this gauge so I didnt really know what to expect. I pulled on the breaker bar to tighten, maybe about half a turn or less before I stopped and realized the gauge wasnt responding. This is the cheap $12 dollar tool found at most auto parts stores (I should have known better).
Now my dilemma is I have a bolt in the head with an unknown amount of torque and angle. Of course, these are GM TTY bolts that need to be precisely installed.
What I would love to do is find 1 bolt and swap out the one that I had potentially over torqued, but where would I find just 1 TTY bolt??
Also, wouldnt swapping out that 1 bolt after going through the initial 22ft lb sequence throw off the bolt pattern?
So here are my options as I see it.
1) Back off that bolt and retorque to 22 ft lbs, and then torque to proper angle.
2) Remove bolt, and potentially find a new one.
3) Remove all bolts and start over. (Will I need a new head gasket now??)
4) Say screw it and buy a set of ARP bolts.
What are your opinions?
Thanks
I was working on a cylinder head swap last night and proceeded with torquing down the bolts in the initial torque sequence of 22 ft lbs. After the initial sequence, I hooked up my angle gauge and went to set it at 90 degrees when my gauge binded and didnt move. This is the first time Ive ever used this gauge so I didnt really know what to expect. I pulled on the breaker bar to tighten, maybe about half a turn or less before I stopped and realized the gauge wasnt responding. This is the cheap $12 dollar tool found at most auto parts stores (I should have known better).
Now my dilemma is I have a bolt in the head with an unknown amount of torque and angle. Of course, these are GM TTY bolts that need to be precisely installed.
What I would love to do is find 1 bolt and swap out the one that I had potentially over torqued, but where would I find just 1 TTY bolt??
Also, wouldnt swapping out that 1 bolt after going through the initial 22ft lb sequence throw off the bolt pattern?
So here are my options as I see it.
1) Back off that bolt and retorque to 22 ft lbs, and then torque to proper angle.
2) Remove bolt, and potentially find a new one.
3) Remove all bolts and start over. (Will I need a new head gasket now??)
4) Say screw it and buy a set of ARP bolts.
What are your opinions?
Thanks
Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 299
Likes: 21
From: Phoenix, AZ
ARP would be great, but I would like to avoid having to buy new bolts, if possible.
Right now I'm leaning towards backing out the one bolt, torque to 22 ft lb, and then proceeding with the torque angle sequence on the rest of the bolts. My main concern is I am not positive how much that bolt has been stretched now.
Right now I'm leaning towards backing out the one bolt, torque to 22 ft lb, and then proceeding with the torque angle sequence on the rest of the bolts. My main concern is I am not positive how much that bolt has been stretched now.
Torque To Yield is one of the most abused terminologies out there.
If the minor diameter of the threads is not equal to, or greater than the smooth section, it is not TTY, period. Head bolts are one of the best places to be extra cautious though.
You more than likely didn't stretch it. Many, many head bolts are potentially reusable. It is just one of the last places we want to err.
Mic it. If you can't tell it is longer than the others, your option 1) is the way to go.
If the minor diameter of the threads is not equal to, or greater than the smooth section, it is not TTY, period. Head bolts are one of the best places to be extra cautious though.
You more than likely didn't stretch it. Many, many head bolts are potentially reusable. It is just one of the last places we want to err.
Mic it. If you can't tell it is longer than the others, your option 1) is the way to go.
Option 1 would probably be ok, but if this were my car I would go with (actually would have gone with long ago) option 4. At this point in your assembly, head gasket crush and bolt torque is an unknown and will now be disturbed. Probably a low risk to keep going, but the consequence of a failed bolt and/or blown head gasket down the road would bug the hell out of me.
If an MLS gasket it can be reused and I've been told it is best to spray Permatex copper gasket onto both sides before installation. My guess is you could re-use the one TTY bolt but if this was for any kind of performance application then I would want the ARP head bolts at the very least. The good thing with these is that you can re-use them.
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Thread Starter
Launching!
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 299
Likes: 21
From: Phoenix, AZ
I just finished bolting everything up and I went with option 1. After torquing everything down and really getting a feel for the bolts I think extremely unlikely that the bolt was compromised. I think the bolt pattern will be fine as well because it had already gone through the initial 22 ft lb sequence .
I'll let you know how badly the head gaskets leak in a few days, hah...
I really appreciate all your opinions.
Thanks
I'll let you know how badly the head gaskets leak in a few days, hah...
I really appreciate all your opinions.
Thanks
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I'm about to put the heads back on my LM4 and using new factory head bolts. Are you saying the head bolt can be torqued to 55 ft lbs and just bypass the degree wheel altogether? Would the shorter two end bolts also be torqued to 55 ft lbs?
Staging Lane
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 68
Likes: 0
From: Long Island
Head bolts are not the place to **** around. Tighten them in sequence, and to the factory spec.