I am putting a head/cam package on my motor this weekend and have the pan off anyway.

should I put the arp rod bolts on that I have or willl they screw something up?

if I don't do them now I can use them on my 383 next winter, so its not a loss.

I have just heard that the rods will elongate with new rod bolts.

if I do install them should I do the stretch method that is sugested with the bolts?

 

No.

They're great bolts, but unless you're pulling the rod off the crank and measuring the bearing clearance w/ the new bolts you're asking for big trouble.

 

You can use Katech bolts, Direct replacement no issues. Just do one bolt at a time without moving the caps as they are seated. You just have to remove the ferrules.

 

Kind of the same question here. I was going to buy and install ARP rod bolts on my 34K motor since it's out of the car right now and I plan on installing a nasty cam, heads, intake, oil pump, LS2 timing chain etc etc

A guy I know suggested against doing it with the motor together.

Instead, he suggested that I pull the crank and have the rods re-sized and the ARP bolts installed then install new rod and main bearings while I'm at it.

Then I figured I might as well hone it and install hellfire rings while I'm at it.

I'm just not feeling like tearing apart this damn engine.

 

I wouldnt bother replacing rod bolts unless the motor was coming out for a rebuild.

And since when do you take the pan off for a head/cam swap? Is there another reason the pan is off?

 

The motor is going into a 95 240sx and requires a GTO oil pan instead of the Fbody pan that shipped with the motor

And the motor got a new oil pump/timing gears/seals.

 

I wouldnt bother with the bolts still, use them on the 383 this winter.

If you dod ecide to do the bolts though use a stretch gauge.

 

I thought alot of guys where changing there rod bolts . what is the big trouble part about?

 

Yea.... I changed mine and didnt have a problem. I followed the ARP instructions
by torquing them 3 times and the motor is still in perfect shape.

 

do you need to do this win putting a cam in

 

I read the term resized in this thread...is it possible to resize a fractured cap rod design? I know on conventional rods the bolts are what positively registers and locates the cap on the rod meaning every time new bolts are installed the rods had to be resized. I thought the unique fracture line which positively and correctly registers the cap on the rod made resizing unnecessary and impossible even if changing bolts. If a fractured cap rod is stretched or egg-shaped it must be replaced.

I know of many local cars that have replaced the rod bolts on an LS1 (most of them early ones) without issues. I think this goes back to a search issue...something tells me this has been covered before.

 

No Cam swap does not require this.