hey guys,
i looked up the torque specs for rod boltsin a 68' 302. and i started to torque the bolt downand, my wrench slipped...figured it just walked off the bolt, went to put the wrench back on the bolt, there was no bolt head. i snapped it..[>:]
im having a really hard time finding a 1968Ford302 Rod Bolt.... if anyone has one laying around or works in a engine shop that could get me one.. i would really appreceiate it. this bolt is the only thing keeping me from moving foreward on my re-build.. i went to auto zone and i could buy them, but i would have to spend $70+ on the whole set, i only need one and my budget would not allow me to buy a whole set..
thanks...

 

I understand where you are coming from with not wanting to blow $70 on a full set. But think about this. that bolt broke before it was torqued up. How many of the others are that weak? A rod bolt breaking at 5000 rpm will make for a nice big bang! Spend the $70 and have the piece of mind.

 

Yeah, you really need to scrape together the money for a set. It'll be a lot cheaper than replacing the entire engine when it throws a rod. Personally, I'd order a set of ARP bolts from Summit Racing and eliminate the weak point in the bottom end.

 

x2 on the ARP bolts. If you are going to beat on it and spin it pretty high in RPM, it is good peace of mind. Wait another week or two if you have to for payday, but put good rod bolts in it. They are the weakest link.

 

CAREFUL!!! check the size of the bolt. I did the same as you this summer rebuilding my 289.I set the TW to 40 and snapped the first one! The 5/16 bolts should be 24ft-lbs and the 3/8 should be 40-45. My book had a chart with all the torque specs but didn't have that distinction.The differencewas noted later on but by then it was too late. I went to an old school machine shop and he had one laying around

 

Like Starfury And Thumpin said, get some ARP bolts. It may be a bit more than you want to spend, butit's lot cheaper than throwing a rod. It's really good insurance, especially since the factory Ford rod bolts are a joke for performance

 

[&o]..... i need $70

 

$70 isn't much to pay at all for the quality and insurance of some ARP bolts though. Just wait another week or 2, or however long it takes, it's better than throwing a rod

 

+1 on the ARP bolts
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...p;autoview=sku
or
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...p;autoview=sku

You might be able to get them at your local auto parts store cheaper since summit will ding you $10 for shipping and handling.

 

You would also have to get the rods re-sized if you got to those bolts. It's a slippery slope.