torquer s/r heads
274h cam

do i need to put better rod bolts in? stock rods and crank

and i'm not thinking of the whole "you might get bored and put in afr heads" or anything..
just for what it is, are the stock ones good enough? (the engine's in peices so now's a good time) arp are accessable so i'm wondering if it's worth it
they arn't sitting in my shop (arp's) but i can get them easily enough.

 

i think the rods will have to be modified for the ARP hardware... not sure but if that is all you are doing i wouldnt worry about ARP

 

The rod bolts are generally the first thing to fail on high RPM usage. But yea, when you use them, you usually have to have the rod ends resized to be round, since you get so much more clamp strength with the ARP bolts.
But yea, still a good idea.

And with a 274h cam you'll probably be spinning it kinda high eh? So yea, ARP bolts on the rods. Mains aren't as crucial, but they're dirt cheap, like $20, might as well go for it. You'll sleep better at night

 

I would do them. If you ever get them ported they can flow great. Ive seen 250 intake and 190 exhaust on ported s/r's with 2.02 1.6 valves. Good for 500hp.

 

replacing stock rod bolts should be one of the first moves you make for any preformance application.

 

modified?
i got a set of arp bolts, i figure they're for 5.7 rods or something.. but they're too long for my rods. but they look exactly like the bolts that came out of the stock rods. just longer..

so anybody know if i have to modify the original rods to make arp bolts work?

yeah, that cam does require higher rpms. we'll see how it goes.

 

You don't have to modify the rods per se, but they'll usually need to be resized after changing the bolts.

 

Like Sonix said, you'll sleep better at night if you do put them in. I bought the ARP Wave-Loc ones for my L98 rebuild, and I did have the machine shop recondition/resize the rods at the same time they installed the new bolts. It's a good idea to have the rods resized anytime you do a rebuild anyways, especially if the motor has a lot of miles on it. The rod journal actually becomes egg-shaped instead of round after a lot of miles. Hell, if you're going to have the rods reconned with new bolts, why not pick up a set of Speed-Pro hypereutectic pistons, and have those pressed on when they do the rods? I don't know your budget, and I'm spending your money, but that's my suggestion. I'd pick up a good set of moly rings too. I always try to think in terms of "while I'm there" when it comes to engine stuff. Know what I mean?

 

That's why my $500 head job turned into a $10,000 rebuild. Gotta draw the line somewhere.

But just for peace of mind I would use ARP. Cheap insurance.

 

Oh man, I can so relate to that! I need to just put my new motor in and be done with it, but every time I think it's ready, I decide to upgrade something else "while I don't have it in the car yet". I agree, you definitely gotta draw a line somewhere. Even my gearhead buddies that I've known for years are starting to look at me kinda cockeyed here lately when I tell them I'm buying something else. Lol. For a while, transmissions were my fetish. Now I've got one extra 700r4, 3 WC T5's, and a Tremec TKO sitting in the garage, and 3 10 bolt rears the last time I looked. Then there's the 2 stock TPI's, 2 sets of headers, and the Accel Super Ram. They oughta have a 12 step program for us car junkies.

 

lol, yeah.. i'm trying to draw the line at "decent hp" not "crazy 500 hp"..
it's a car that's slowlly dying and i need to get it on the road before i loose all interest in it and it'll sit in the shed for another 3 years before i get the inkling to touch it again.