Real Fiero Tech

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)

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.

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

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

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

ericjon262 wrote: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.