350hp86lx

i want to change from the factory 5/16 so a stronger arp bolt but im wondering if anybody knows if i can change them without taking the whole bottom end appart or can i just drop the oil pan

fourfivefour

The whole engine needs to be torn down.
The pistons need to be removed from the rods and the rods resized after installing new bolts and pistons pressed back on.

It is cheaper to buy new rods with 3/8" bolts then to dump money into the stock rods.
The new bolts are cheap, it's the machine shop labor charges and then you still only have 5/16" rod bolts that are a litttle better.
But after doing this the reciprocating assembly needs to be re-balanced because your changing the weight of the rods.

Time to think about buying a stroker kit.

350hp86lx

I was told i could swap them to a stronger bolt but still same 5/16 size if i pressed them out and changed them 1 at a time.. is that not true?

5.0stanger

sounds like too much work for nothing. How are you going to press them out? If you can get them out, I guess it would be possible, but again, not worth it IMO

fourfivefour

NO! False!
Installing new bolts will distort the rod's bore, so the rods will need to be resized.

capri debris

True!!!!!!!!! ^^^^^^^^

I changed my rod bolts to ARP's and then took them to a machine shop to have the caps shaved down, installed on the rods and then the big end bore honed to true them up.

Doing it while the engine is in the car is nut's... no way you can do it right. You're coming off as a "hack" mechanic just by thinking about doing it.

350hp86lx

i dont mean in the car but i just mean hoisting it up and dropping the pan... i just wanted to know if i could do it without taking everything else appart

my77stang

yes

not always.

Grundy

you cant just hoist the car up and drop the pan....... the engine has to pretty much come out to get the pan off.