How to replace stock floating rod bolts?
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 176
Likes: 4
How to replace stock floating rod bolts? Sounds silly but how do you replace the stock rod bolts (floating rods) with new stock Rod bolts? The new factory bolts have a sleeve that is positioned between the bolt head and threads. When taking the old bolts out it seems that the sleeves remain in the Rod caps. Soooo, how do you get the sleeves out? Tap out with a punch?
The plan is to assemble the short block, plastigage the mains and rods and then replace the Rod bolts.
The orginal bolts would have been torque cycled 4 times (GM original assembly, tear down and checking at the machine shop, plastigage testing now for rebuild assembly and then final torque) so I figured I'd better replace them!
Any help on how to properly replace the rods bolts would be appreciated!
S.F.
The plan is to assemble the short block, plastigage the mains and rods and then replace the Rod bolts.
The orginal bolts would have been torque cycled 4 times (GM original assembly, tear down and checking at the machine shop, plastigage testing now for rebuild assembly and then final torque) so I figured I'd better replace them!
Any help on how to properly replace the rods bolts would be appreciated!
S.F.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 176
Likes: 4
Unfortunately the manual I have for the LQ4/LQ9 doesn't elaborate on bolt replacement at all only torque. I did figure it out by reading ARP instructions and install threads. What you do is unthread the bolt from the lower rod half, then lift the bolt until it catches the sleeve that is stuck in the Rod cap. Once the bolt catches, continue turning counter clockwise while lifting and the bolt will thread itself into the sleeve and you can grab it with pliers and pull the bolt and sleeve free from the cap. The new bolts drop right in and it looks like the sleeve gets swedged inside the rods cap once torqued.
S.F.
Last edited by StolenFox; Aug 16, 2015 at 06:30 PM.
