Inliners International
Posted By: Augusto Help with connecting rods - 05/13/16 03:02 PM
Hi, everybody... I need some help with connecting rods and ARP bolts for them. Im building an engine and talking with my mechanic he told me that he tryed mount connecting rod with ARP bolts and them lock the crankshaft when he puts torque.
So I would like to know if there is some difference in machining a connecting rod that will use ARP bolts.

Thanks...
Posted By: tlowe #1716 Re: Help with connecting rods - 05/13/16 06:22 PM
When installing new bolts into the rod, the big end bore must be resized. The new bolts deform the bore.
A small amount is cut from cap and rod if doing them right. Then the bolts are installed and torqued to spec. After that the bore is too small. A hone is then used to open the bore to specification.
Posted By: CNC-Dude #5585 Re: Help with connecting rods - 05/14/16 04:07 PM
Augusto, also be aware that since these rods were also torqued on the crankshaft in this manner, the bearings can also have been damaged by being squeezed onto the journals with a lack of clearance. You also need to thoroughly inspect the bearings to ensure they haven't had flat spots compressed into their surfaces when this was done. It will be easy to detect the damage, but just be aware that simply re-sizing the rods may not be all that is required to fix the problem you have.
Posted By: Augusto Re: Help with connecting rods - 05/15/16 10:17 AM
Thanks guys, but I will probably use the original one because before my car he tryed to rebore a connecting rod and like CNC Dude said it wasnt enough to solve the problem... So its better stay with original than loose all connecting rods...
Posted By: mdonohue05 Re: Help with connecting rods - 05/17/16 01:53 PM
Like the others have stated, the rod needs to be rebuilt after the install of new rod bolts. In fact, I would venture a guess that even if you take the arp bolts out and reinstall the original bolts, you will still need to rebuild the rod. many of us have used arp rod bolts with our rods. The rod always needs to be completely rebuilt afterward. In all of the years I have used aftermarket rod bolts, I have never had an issue like yours and I have always fully rebuilt the rods. The other issue is whether you have the correct size bearing. Once you have the rods correctly resized and rebuilt, you have to sort out whether the crank needs attention. If you are redoing just one rod, does that mean you had a problem with that rod? Did it damage the crank? How did you measure the crank rod journal to determine bearing size? Just some thoughts and questions.
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