Hotrod Lincoln, thanks, lots of good info. Biggest
350 I have built is a 450 horse sitting in my
old Corvette Mako Shark. For V eights, I always
replace critical bolts with each rebuild, and
I use ARP bolts. My concern is one stretched or
broken bolt can ruin your Saturday night cruise.
Truckedup, I will pull out some old V eight
flywheel bolts and compare. I am sure you are
exactly right on that. Rod bolts, complicated.
I have a 55 - 57 block apart now. Rod bolts are
knurled and have a special T head. Not sure
ARP will make those for me.
Buddy, yeah, I like doing it right, everytime.
Too big of a risk to cut corners. I will go
for the ARP bolts like you.
On the road again, a lot of these trucks I work
on for family and friends, end up in deep snow,
way out in the middle of nowhere, even up in
Alaska where Buddy lives. I want all to be perfect
and dependable. Breaking down in the wrong place
might make you dinner for a grizzly!
A mixed bag so far. Langdon told me he does not
worry about using the same bolts again.
A final comment, many of these engines we work
on have over 100k, over 200k miles, are as old
as me, they have been around and we don't know
what has been done to them. Engine I took apart
this past weekend, rod nuts were loose. Flywheel
had 3 bolts of one type, 3 of another. Not good.
What I have in mind is to order at least ten sets
custom made by ARP. Use three or four here, then
offer the rest to whomever at my cost to test the
market for 235 critical bolt packages. I think
there is a small market for these bolts.
Just have to figure out what to do on those
pesky rod bolts.
Thanks everyone for input. I hope more will
come down from the peanut gallery and comment.
Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Billyray
I have a 56 3/4 ton Napco 4wd
