Please help 3800 flywheel bolt question

[Lou and Blue]

I bought a flywheel from a highly regarded member on Old Europe and although I've been advised to use the arp Chevy cam bolts , they are about 1/8 inch too short and if I screw one of the arp cam bolts into the crank by hand without the flywheel on it, if its screwed in all the way it can go it feels secure , but if I back it out a bit to make up for the flywheel thickness (really difference in flywheel thickness and extra bolt thread when fully screwed in) it feels wiggly and I don't know if I should count on loctite,to hold that power. I haven't bought gm bolts but I've read they have interference With the clutch springs and the head of the bolt. I also don't know if the gm flywheel bolts are any longer than the arp ones anyway.

Please let me know what you are using , have used, or that you know is successful.
Thanks,
Louis

(Tried to PM this to shaun but i don't think it worked)

[Emc209i]

The GM bolts are torque to yield and stretch as you tighten them. A lot of different people have sheered them off at the flywheel. I'm not the only one, so I'm inclined to believe that I just didn't have a miscalibrated torque wrench. Picture related.



I replaced them with Grade 8-10 (don't remember) bolts from the local hardware store.



I sold the engine after fixing this problem to a guy who was a lunatic. I heard later he was drag racing the engine on the street quite a lot. I ended up repossessing his car after he stopped paying me for the engine. The bolts held up and were there when I resold the engine. I know of a few others who have also used hardware bolts. I personally would find a longer ARP bolt if I had the choice again and were in your shoes. But in a pinch... it worked. The GM stuff is expensive and is junk. Really soft bolts, not fit for a completely stock setup really.

[ericjon262]

doesn't the 3800 use some obscenely small bolts for the flywheel? something like 5/16"?

[Lou and Blue]

Shit, I just ordered the GM flywheel bolts. What are you torquing the hardware store bolts to?

[Emc209i]

Like 60 ft-lbs with red loc tight. You could probably sell the GM bolts on piffle for what you payed for them.

doesn't the 3800 use some obscenely small bolts for the flywheel? something like 5/16"?

Nah, they fit the ID of the flywheel holes - you can see the shafts in the picture I posted. I do remember though that they felt like cheese tightening. They never really "snugged", you just kept tightening until the wrench popped at a really low torque spec. And to think I payed like $5 a pop.