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Thread: ARP conrod bolts...what a pain

  1. #1
    Spanner Monkey

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    ARP conrod bolts...what a pain

    why things cannot work out well? everytime i want to improve things, hence i need to fit something aftermarket it does not fit!!

    qucik refurb of an x/flow enigne with new bearings, piston rings, gasket set...and changing conrod bolts to ARP

    first problem:
    bolt touched the (original) oilsuction pipe...ok, I modified the pipe
    completed engine, fitted the nice alloy sump which already came with the engine, tightend alle the bolts, turned the engine by hand...bang, engine blocked.

    removed sump....the ARP bolts touched the sidewall of the sump...the sump , whyever, has a small recess inwards in this area. if i remove material the sidewhall will get too thin...damn...and alloy welding isnt my thing..nor i want to modify a alloy sump in perfect condition.

    ARP bolts off, originals in...all the work involved for nothing.

    by the way: can i re-use those bolts (e.g. on another engine, with steel-sump)?

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    Re: ARP conrod bolts...what a pain

    Can't really blame ARP for you fitting a (no doubt thicker wall) aftermarket alloy sump! Don't know why the bolts touched the oil pick-up but its not unheard of. No reason not to re-use an 'un-used' ARP bolt as it hasn't actually been work stressed.

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    Racer Decade Plus User wildo105e's Avatar

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    Re: ARP conrod bolts...what a pain

    Quote Originally Posted by katana View Post
    Don't know why the bolts touched the oil pick-up but its not unheard of.
    As said i think this is a common issue on x-flows. I believe there also issues on other engines with ARP bolts like duratec etc so you are not alone fustrating as it is. There are very few things i have bought that have fitted first time out.

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    Re: ARP conrod bolts...what a pain

    Very funny reading this. You clearly live in an internet world where you think you can buy X and Y parts, have it posted, fit it and got yourself a race engine. In reality is't totally different. Specially if different parts get mixed in one engine. Usual nothing fit's and all have to be modified to fit. It's something I keep trying to explain my customers and it the reason why it all cost so much more as what you feel it is going to cost on internet.
    Last edited by Dyno; 10-03-2017 at 17:16.

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    Re: ARP conrod bolts...what a pain

    Quote Originally Posted by onyd View Post
    Very funny reading this. You clearly live in an internet world where you think you can buy X and Y parts, have it posted, fit it and got yourself a race engine. In reality is't totally different. Specially if different parts get mixed in one engine. Usual nothing fit's and all have to be modified to fit. It's something I keep trying to explain my customers and it the reason why it all cost so much more as what you feel it is going to cost on internet.
    yup you summed it up very well Dirk

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    Mechanic snapper1's Avatar

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    Re: ARP conrod bolts...what a pain

    I'll give alfas a little support for actually doing some spannering, I too have come across issues and vented my spleen but not on this forum.
    I did however fit Cosworth rods to a Pinto and decided I needed to fit the Cosworth oil pickup with spray bar but this won't fit with the RS2000 sump.
    So I bought an RS2000 pick up pipe and had the Cosworth spray bar grafted to that.
    The rod bolts hit the pick up so I eased that away.
    The RS2000 sump now would not fit as the Cosworth spray bar was at the lowest point.
    I cut the sump to the point a large furrow broke through the result of this was another trip to a local talented welder fabricator who tig welded a half tube neatly to the sump, this solved the problem and whilst I had spent quite a bit of money I was dead chuffed with my perseverance.
    I believe I shared my story with this forum to be told I could have notched the rods to give the same effect as the Cosworth spray bar
    Doh

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    Re: ARP conrod bolts...what a pain

    Quote Originally Posted by snapper1 View Post
    I'll give alfas a little support for actually doing some spannering, I too have come across issues and vented my spleen but not on this forum.
    I did however fit Cosworth rods to a Pinto and decided I needed to fit the Cosworth oil pickup with spray bar but this won't fit with the RS2000 sump.
    So I bought an RS2000 pick up pipe and had the Cosworth spray bar grafted to that.
    The rod bolts hit the pick up so I eased that away.
    The RS2000 sump now would not fit as the Cosworth spray bar was at the lowest point.
    I cut the sump to the point a large furrow broke through the result of this was another trip to a local talented welder fabricator who tig welded a half tube neatly to the sump, this solved the problem and whilst I had spent quite a bit of money I was dead chuffed with my perseverance.
    I believe I shared my story with this forum to be told I could have notched the rods to give the same effect as the Cosworth spray bar
    Doh
    i guess for some, we know none of this stuff fits properly, it never does, never did, so some of us are taken by surprise when anyone expects to it!

    hells bells we often have issues with bog standard replacement parts not fitting modern cars, so something which is 40odd years old and has been chopped about has no chance

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    Re: ARP conrod bolts...what a pain

    Part of the fun eh, if building fast cars was just all about parts fitting we prob wouldnt be on this site.

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    Re: ARP conrod bolts...what a pain

    I have never had rod bolts fouling the sump with Cosworth rods with a std stoke crank on a Pinto. I do often wonder how engine builders go on with a 84 or 88mm stroke crank.

    X flow blocks with a 77mm crank have always been notorious for clearance problems once the std shallow head rod bolts are changed, we have all overcome it by one way or another.

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    Re: ARP conrod bolts...what a pain

    ive stroked a couple of pinto's to 80mm and had to tweek the oil pickup pipe to miss the rod bolts.

    the 86mm stroke one i did was dry sumped so no pickup pipe to worry about, but i had to grind almost through the alloy sump pan to get clearance

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    Re: ARP conrod bolts...what a pain

    The biggest overall gain I found in my 2,3 ltr 86 mm stroke Pinto was the weight reduction after I had made clearance for the conrods in the cast iron block !!!!

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    Re: ARP conrod bolts...what a pain

    Quote Originally Posted by onyd View Post
    The biggest overall gain I found in my 2,3 ltr 86 mm stroke Pinto was the weight reduction after I had made clearance for the conrods in the cast iron block !!!!
    oh yes, thats a lot of grinding!

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