I'm going to be replacing the oil pan gasket on my 65 soon. I'm wondering if I should use some stock style bolts or the neat stainless ARP ones I saw. The ARP ones don't have lock washers, but the stock type do.

My engine is not stock, and is kinda dressed up a little. I have some other stainless fasteners on the valve covers etc.

Thoughts?

 

Depends. Will people be crawling under your car to see the pan bolts? Will you be sliding a big mirror under the car at shows? If not, the fancy bolts will be wasted.

 

same opinion here. that's a place I don't really like spending money.
make sure it's tight and doesn't leak there. that's more important

 

lol, while that is true, I LIKE nice 12 point stainless bolts on some of my engines.

For my engine bolts, it usually means wire brushing or some time in the blast cabinet to clean up and paint, or new bolts.

For those who haven't done it, cleaning and painting 1,000 oil pan bolts takes some time, new bolts go in real fast..... It is a time vs. $ thing, and since time = $.... well you get it right....

 

You need some kind of locking mechanism on those new bolts also (or you'll be cursing the amount of oil leaks you will soon have). You can get SS split lock washers at he HW store- it's money well spent. Or in the aerospace industry we use what are called "Belville washers" which are flat washers that are cupped to compress when tightened which maintains torque on the screw/bolt as another option for you think about.

 

I use an old kick panel with a lotta holes in it. Push the bolts into the holes, takes only a couple minutes to do them all. Blow them free of dust, and paint them while still in the kick panel. Perfect clean, perfect paint.

 

I have 2 x 10 boards drilled with lots of holes about 1/2 through, I stick the bolts in, media blast, and paint.

Nonetheless, it can be a PIA to make sure all of the heads get painted all the way around.

 

i just use a cardboard beer flat- same idea.

 

Yeah, people won't really be seeing the underside of the car. I won't be doing the mirror thing either. I'm just really a fan of stainless fasteners.

 

Good point.