Holty Posted September 4, 2007 Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 I'm going to be installing some ARP rod bolts this weekend or possibly even tomorrow night depending on if this guy comes to buy my bike or not. Any tips or tricks i need to know about? I'm pretty sure i'm going to have to drop the front diff but is there anything else i need to know? Working in my garage is tough because the ceiling is low so i can't get the truck as high as i would like to fit my fat ass under there lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_bnoon_SS Posted September 4, 2007 Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 No tips from me, but make sure to take lots of notes and pics!!! I may need to do this during the L92 head swap timeframe, so I'll be subscribing to this thread! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krambo Posted September 4, 2007 Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 What, the 7K rpms was getting you nervous Josh? The bolts are a piece of cake,...getting to them is the pain. Be sure to follow the torque specs to the "T" and you should be golden. From what I remember, there are 3 steps to the TQ process per bolt (install to a specified TQ, remove, TQ to a greater specified TQ, remove, and a final TQ to spec.). I am sure the instructions are explicit enough. I took pictures of my install in hopes for a future How-2 but I lost them on a CD somewher in my files. I have been too lazy to dig them up. While you are in there, check the rods / rotating assembly for any stresses and/or any stray metal fragments. I found a sliver on #4 that could have caused some problems internally. I just filed it off with a triangle file and cleaned up the area real good. I think the bolts took me 3 hrs from start to finish with a little help from a buddy and a slight break for a sandwhich. Good Luck!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterp Posted September 4, 2007 Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 No tips from me, but make sure to take lots of notes and pics!!! I may need to do this during the L92 head swap timeframe, so I'll be subscribing to this thread! I'm going to be doing this sooner or later too. I know that the crossmember under the oil pan offers little to no structural support, you can unbolt it from the frame no prob and the oil pan you just zip the bolts loose; but I didn't think it was necessary to drop the front axle Mr. P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holty Posted September 4, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 i could be wrong on dropping the diff, i just read that somewhere when doing research on this mod and noted it in case i need to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_bnoon_SS Posted September 4, 2007 Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 I'm going to be doing this sooner or later too. I know that the crossmember under the oil pan offers little to no structural support, you can unbolt it from the frame no prob and the oil pan you just zip the bolts loose; but I didn't think it was necessary to drop the front axle Mr. P. That's some good info I had been looking for regarding the front X member. Is this from your own experience, or through the grapevine P??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shakesvho Posted September 4, 2007 Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 you do feel better with the bolts at WOT, I did the heads and rods when we did the blower and cam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12'SROCK Posted September 4, 2007 Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 What, the 7K rpms was getting you nervous Josh? The bolts are a piece of cake,...getting to them is the pain. Be sure to follow the torque specs to the "T" and you should be golden. From what I remember, there are 3 steps to the TQ process per bolt (install to a specified TQ, remove, TQ to a greater specified TQ, remove, and a final TQ to spec.). I am sure the instructions are explicit enough. I took pictures of my install in hopes for a future How-2 but I lost them on a CD somewher in my files. I have been too lazy to dig them up. While you are in there, check the rods / rotating assembly for any stresses and/or any stray metal fragments. I found a sliver on #4 that could have caused some problems internally. I just filed it off with a triangle file and cleaned up the area real good. I think the bolts took me 3 hrs from start to finish with a little help from a buddy and a slight break for a sandwhich. Good Luck!!! its a lot more accurate to stretch the rod bolts using a strech bolt guage than to torque them, and remeber there is a difference in torque specs when you use regular oil and moly lube good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterp Posted September 4, 2007 Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 (edited) That's some good info I had been looking for regarding the front X member. Is this from your own experience, or through the grapevine P??? First-hand from Sprayed99, we talked about this on Saturday as we ran into a problem that almost had us dropping the oil pan on a truck; he has done several on 2WD trucks and said yes it is very easy (even made it sound convenient ) just unbolt the crossmember, then unbolt the pan; the pisser is that apparently the factory attaches some brackets to the pan, so you have more to do/redo than just the pain rail bolts and the read I got from what he said is that was where the PITA factor came in... but that aside supposed to be a straightforward job, if you are knowledgeable enough to R&R the rod bolts then yes you won't have a problem figuring out how to drop & reinstall the oil pan. Still I'm not sure how much the front diff is in the way on the AWD trucks, suppose I could crawl under the truck and look tonight after work seeing how it's still on jackstands. Mr. P. I'm assuming from Krambo's reply (3-hrs start to finish) that front-end drivetrain work is not required. Edited September 4, 2007 by Mr. P. (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS_bnoon_SS Posted September 4, 2007 Report Share Posted September 4, 2007 First-hand from Sprayed99, we talked about this on Saturday as we ran into a problem that almost had us dropping the oil pan on a truck; he has done several on 2WD trucks and said yes it is very easy (even made it sound convenient ) just unbolt the crossmember, then unbolt the pan; the pisser is that apparently the factory attaches some brackets to the pan, so you have more to do/redo than just the pain rail bolts and the read I got from what he said is that was where the PITA factor came in... but that aside supposed to be a straightforward job, if you are knowledgeable enough to R&R the rod bolts then yes you won't have a problem figuring out how to drop & reinstall the oil pan. Still I'm not sure how much the front diff is in the way on the AWD trucks, suppose I could crawl under the truck and look tonight after work seeing how it's still on jackstands. Mr. P. I'm assuming from Krambo's reply (3-hrs start to finish) that front-end drivetrain work is not required. Cool, take a pic while you're under there if you notice anything that could be a problem, would ya? I know I can identify things myself too, but it would be nice to discuss it before the weekend. I'm looking at doing it at the same time as my cam/timing chain install to eliminate the chance of dropping the pickup tube/bolt down into the pan while I have the front cover off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krambo Posted September 5, 2007 Report Share Posted September 5, 2007 (edited) Wow, good discussion. The front diff is kind of in the way. I undid my front diff and dropped it down. The pan "slipped" off after some "encouragement" and oil all over the place. The stock pan kind of gave me trouble coming off of the front drivers side of the motor,..All I needed was an extra inch (maybe less). Between the damn tranny lines and not being able to tilt the rear of the pan "upwards", My only resort was to drop the diff. I suppose you could undo the motor mounts and lift the motor an inch or two. Again, all I needed was about an inch I heard of people doing a rod bolt install without dropping the diff but I couldn't get the pan off,...so before I did something I would regret, I dropped the diff (extra 10 minutes). I almost looked into an aftermarket pan for the re-install. All in all, it isn't as bad as you would think. I still stand by my 3 hr timeframe. I heard of others that just took that crossmember off and dropped the pan I am not sure,...all I know is mine was tricky to get at and required a little bit more room than the truck was allowing me. I gotta find those pics... EDIT - DOUNOME did his rod bolts without dropping the diff so it can be done it seems. There also the issue with the sleeves. You have to yank those puppies out before installing your new bolts. A set of robogrips help. You can wiggle the stock bolt in there to help it come out as well. Edited September 5, 2007 by Krambo (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chpspecial Posted September 6, 2007 Report Share Posted September 6, 2007 To get to all of the bolts, and to remove the oil pan easier, you need to drop the front diff, but you dont have to remove it. Just unbolt the two bolts and two nuts to let the diff hang loose. and of course the steering linkage is going to be in the way of the Diff, lowering down, so you are going to have to turn the wheel until you get enough clearance to lower the diff. After the diff is lowered, there is wiring harness that bolts to the front of the oil pan which needs to be removed, two 10mm bolts I beliece and one more on the passanger side. Once all of that is gone, you can get to all of the oil pan bolts easy and remove it. Lowering the diff also gives more clearance for when it come time to remove the rod bolts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detjoe Posted September 6, 2007 Report Share Posted September 6, 2007 those wires on the front of the engine were a PITA in getting my front cover back on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quik Posted September 6, 2007 Report Share Posted September 6, 2007 at the rpms you shift at i personally wouldnt worry. for 8k in miles i shifted my 6litre at 6800rpms, it also for 2k miles rev'd to 7400 with no issues. for the amount of times you take your motor up in hte rpms i wouldnt worry to be honest. could of done this when motor was out but now will be more pain. look at spending several hours doing this. and i dont think you have enough room in your garage for you to do this. the truck has to be at a decent height to get proper leverage and movement Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holty Posted September 6, 2007 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2007 I did this last night, took me about 4hrs but it wasn't difficult at all. Piece of mind is worth it and on a boosted application has much more stress at 6k+ rpm's than n/a motors. Thanks chpspecial for the details in your post, that helped me out alot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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