Ive been waiting and working on this car for so long now. I got my heads back from the machine. Put them on..I went to install the exhaust manifolds, and it turns out that the ARP bolt kit only has bolts for Headers, and they dont work with the factory exhaust manifolds. This really sucks...

Anyone else have this problem, and am I going to run into this problem with the other bolts in the kit.

And i called ARp to find out, and their tech support sucked also.

 

ARP makes the best bolts known to man. You got a bolt kit for the engine, and it assumed you have headers, and you're using manifolds? That's the beef? I guess you need longer bolts/studs eh?
or.... I dunno.... Use headers? I mean, c'mon now...

 

Headers and Manifolds don't use the same size bolts... what did you expect?

 

Go to home depot and get some bolts, problem solved.

...or get some headers.

 

Im sure their great bolts and everything, but when I buy a SBC 305 bolt kit i expect it to have the bolts for what an sbc 305 comes with, whic is exhaust manifolds. Anyways....The guy who said go to homedepot and get some....do I need some special kind of bolts or washer to go with them. I dont want them rattling loose. Thanks

 

Some grade 5 or 8 3/8 bolts

 

Lock washers are used, they wont losen up. ARP makes bolts for preformance engines. You really dont use manifolds for preformance apps. Header bolts are like a 3/4 of a inch long. Maniold bolts are like 2 inches long.....DEE DEE DEEE!!!!

 

A good idea would have been to actually check what the kit came with.

 

They don't have to be super strong bolts, it's not a crazy high strength app. Grade 2 wouldn't work, 'cuz those are junk, grade 5 or 8 or SS would work ok. Use lock washers, split rings. I used allen bolts, since they make ratchet access easiest (but that's with headers, if you have that problem with your manifolds, you can take the same route.. .then use "hi-collar" lock washers.
Use anti seize on the bolts, if you ever want to get them out again (for when you decide to go for headers
Copper antiseize by permatex works well for me.

 

Well this just makes a good excuse to put those expensive bolts to good use and install a set of headers. At least thats what usually happens to me I get carried away easily haha.

 

If you want to match what you have you can order their 5 packs of bolts. 6 and 12 point heads, stainless or black, 3/8" thread with 3/8" head from .500" to 5.00" or 7/16" head from .500" to 4.00", all in .250 length increments. Page 77 and 78 of their onling catalog. I think they even come with washers.

If time is an issue put it together with what you have then swap them out one at a time when they show up.

 

ARP makes bolts for performance engines so of course they're going to include header bolts and not manifold bolts. If you're working on a stock 305SBC then buy a bolt kit for a STOCK 305 SBC ....

 

if you are doing all this work why do you still have exhause manifolds? and by the way when you order bolts they say "header bolts" not "exhaust manifold bolts" come on now...

 

ok then what about the intake manifold bolts??? Those dont fit either...This kit is completely useless unless I have all aftermarket parts. I have 20 holes on my intake manifold, and the kit comes with 12 bolts....This is gay....Keep an eye on the for sale section for this kit if anyone needs it.

 

an intake manifold has 12 bolt holes because there are 12 bolts that hold down the intake manifold. the rest of the bolt holes are for "accessories" which vary by application and thus would not be included in the set. if you read the list of bolts that come with a engine bolt set they are as follows motor mount intake manifold HEADERS valve covers oil pan timing cover water pump thermostat fuel pump disctributer and alternator brackets. i seem to see the word HEADER in that list and EXHAUST MANIFOLDS are not headers. also nowhere in the list is any mention of accessories. read first, dont bitch at the greatest bolt supplier in the world. as so expertly stated before DEE-DEE-DEEEE!!!

 

The intake manifoldbolts likely don't fit because:
a) You had the heads or block surfaced to some extent and are not to factory specs anymore.
b) you are working with older parts that have at somepoint have warpped slightly from general use and do not posess true surfaces.
c) you bought a kit that is not designed for your application.

I use arp bolts in everything I build with great sucess.
This may come off harsh but let me make a brief parallel. I work in the firearms industry. I routinely encounter individuals that buy high end custom pistols. And routinely I here at least one at every outing b*tch about how his super expensive piece is infact a POS and that it is worthless. When I observe them use there guns it is in fact the user that doesn't know what the hell they are doing. Basically if you don't know what the h*ll you are getting into, don't bother buying it. The part is not worthless the user...

 

Work on your bicycle, leave the car alone & please do not try and work on the brakes. Take an automitive class, learn something before you slander someones name.

 

Yea,what he said just more of it,just kidding, but get your facts straight before talking down a company that makes top of the line products.

 

I agree ARP IS the BEST company. I have them on everything including internal parts. Which is way more important then intake and other bolts. If these fail bye bye engine. Trust me if you use ARP bolt and studs to the company instructions they will not fail and if they DO ARP will fix what there product broke. I've seen it on race motors and there were no questions asked.

 

Alright man..Im allowed to rant and rave.....And this is the Vendor review of the product. When I called the vendor to find out what was going on teh tech dept didnt know squat as far as bolts go...Well anyways..Everything is sorted out, and IT WAS A MISTAKE ON ARPS END!!!!! just to let you guys know. the kit I had was 534-9802, and only one of the shrinkwrap inserts in the box were correct. The other was out of another kit....SO whoever said I should work on a bike can kiss my a***...there you go guys....OH yeah...and im sorry about talking bad about the company because they are replacing with the correct kit for free...later

 

Shrinkwrap inserts? They're not using the fold-out card in the bolt kits anymore?

 

Yeah the pic in summit catalog showed a fold out nice looking display...What I got was a box with (2) shrink wrapped cardboard pieces with the bolts shrink wrapped to them....And the reason why I was also pissed was the when they labeled them the labels are nowhere near the bolts that are shrinkwrapped. I mean the labels can pertain to any bolt thats stuck to teh cardboard. Really horrible packaging, and even worse support. But hey they are replacing for free...so its ok!!. ....Now you guys know why the I titled this this way....btw...it was ordered from Summit too. I dont see why you guys vouch for this company...maybe i just got teh bad batch.

 

Try these guys here for stock exh man bolts.

They might not have the ones with the stud on them for a nut though; that might be a junkyard-only type of thing. I have no clue (and I don't know about the studs either).

Yeah a bad batch, or mis-boxed somehting or other, can happen to about anybody. Doesn't necessarily mean it's a bad company. Now if it happens EVERY TIME, or even just ALOT, then that's a different matter. But if it happens once and they take care of it, then that's about all you can hope for. I guess that's just one of the hazards of having to deal with humans. Humans suck.

 

I ordered new bolts from the dealer for the exhaust not all that long ago, and it wasnt rediculously expensive either. Got all the weird ones with the studs as well.

 

I'd be a little more cautious about blanket statements such as that. After having spent 20 years in the fastener manufacturing industry (consumer, automotive, aerospace, etc.) with a Fortune 100 company, I can think of a handful of reasons that ARP might not always be "the best known to man." That's not to say they are not good, but they certainly don't set any standards.

 

which company IS that vader?

for our application, I think ARP is usually the best bet as far as quality fasteners go. That's a little less of a blanket statement

 

As firedawg225 said "I agree ARP IS the BEST company. I have them on everything including internal parts. Which is way more important then intake and other bolts. If these fail bye bye engine. Trust me if you use ARP bolt and studs to the company instructions they will not fail and if they DO ARP will fix what there product broke. I've seen it on race motors and there were no questions asked."

I would not say ARP is the best company but for a company who stands behind their product they are the best in that area. My dragster makes almost 900 hp out of a highly modified cast iron small block chevy with no power adder or nos. The only bolt on that motor is an ARP. I also have a 68 Dart with a 526KB hemi in that probably make 2200 to 2300hp (never had it on the dyno). That motor also only has arp bolts on it. If you go to the drags probably 99% of the top teams are using ARP. Why???? Because their stuff is top notch. I have seen a bolts fail and Vader if you were in the fastner industry for many years I am sure that you have too. How a company deals with an issue or failure is a true statement of what type of company they are. If they are sending you out replacements at N/C obviously they care about you as a customer. That is a good company!

Just my two cents.

 

Nobody is saying anything about the bolts not being of good quality. When I say ARP is bad I did not say that the bolts are weak or a low grade. Im sure the bolts are of the best quality, and material, but how they packaged the product and the support from the company is terrible. End of story. I dont care what anybody else says. The shrink wrap it came was horrible. The stickers that label the bolts were pasted nowhere near where the bolts were. Im done with this theard. Bolts are bolts, they all to pass a tensile and quality test. I feel as if I got ripped off. Later

 

get your facts straight, ARP makes the best bolts, plain and simple, they design their products to be strong and work, ask anyone in racing whether it be nascar, or drag racing, or ANYTHING it dosnt matter ARP is the best on the market, plain and simple

 

He said theard...

Maybe the bolts we packaged correctly and the lables were in the right place.

 

I understand what your saying. ONe thing i'd like to add since someone brought up Summit. I've had NO problems with them. I call them with problem and new part are out of there factory within the day to my place and i can keep the old part that was wrong. I've had issues with Summit but they always fix the mistake even if it was my fault I ordered the wrong part. And not saying ARP is the same way, I wouldn't know, but if you have issues with the person your talking to ask to speak to there supervisor. I bet thing will be different if not keep going higher. Most buisness want your return buisness. Well that my 2 cents. that would be 4 cents now. 2 post

 

agree with the comment about summit being a great company. and on the subject of ARP they are one of the best if not the best. top notch quality and as far as support not being to your liking my experiences with them have been great. If you have ever heard of Adams it is a racing spec water pump company, I picked up one of their pumps a while back and it was new but no packaging and I still haven't found a website for them anyway I went to put on my 406 and guess what it was a longer flange so the bolts weren't long enough. now was that ARP's fault? nope, same way with me using a one piece oil pan gasket from felpro bolts wouldn't fit and the billet aluminum timing cover. I definitely improvised but the water pump I called them about and they sent me the right ones n/c. could have done the rest to but I was in a hurry. anyway like I said good company.

 

I'm not sure if you are still in need of the right sized bots but ARP has always taken care of me if I had a problem with one of their bolt kits.

Make a list of what bolts and hardware the engine bolt kit didn't come with that you need. Make sure you know the lengths and sizes you are in need of. Email ARP with a breif explanation and provide the list. I think you'll be surprised when they send you out everything you need at no charge.

ARP has been hands down the best company to work with when I've had minor issues like this. Seriously, make the list, email them, post back here in a week or so letting us know how cool it was that ARP took good care of you.

-dan