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6.5 main bolt issues.

consaka

consaka

Active Member
Messages
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Location
Vancouver WA
I probably said something about this earlier but now can't find the thread.

I am looking for longer short bolts for the main bearings. The goofy things barely use half their threads.
I would use reasonably priced ARP studs but can't find them either. The bolt I have says 11.9 on the head. That apparently makes it double rare.
 
consaka said:
I probably said something about this earlier but now can't find the thread.

I am looking for longer short bolts for the main bearings. The goofy things barely use half their threads.
I would use reasonably priced ARP studs but can't find them either. The bolt I have says 11.9 on the head. That apparently makes it double rare.
Click to expand...
Go to Kennedy Diesel and order a main stud girdle. You'll get a girdle and a set of ARP studs in one fell swoop.
 
sctrailrider said:
What's wrong with the bolts that came in the block??
Click to expand...
They only use half the threads. I could use them. It just seems like a waste in clamping force in an already weak portion. using all the threads would spread the load out.
On another note 11.9 bolts at only 55 foot pounds seems overkill.
 
@consaka
I know Leroy has the arp head studs for sale, have you asked him about the mains? I agree studs in all lower holes is stronger cap holding and less force on the block. A worth while investment if you have a few extra dollars.

@n8in8or
I know you are running Kennedy's girdle in yours. And I had not found girdles that were worth a crud before for the 6.5. But I never investigated his. I do like girdles on any high compression of engine. Did you get his because only current available or does it hit good spec numbers and lots of users with long life history? Did you stud center only and bolts to end caps?
Basically idk how far into mine I will be but if I get into it that far would like to figure if that is the best way to go currently. The guys that engineered mine in the 90's are long gone and I wasn't smart enough to keep info around for personal use.:facepalm: The extra info can help or friend from Wa decide on it to I imagine.
 
Will L. said:
@consaka
I know Leroy has the arp head studs for sale, have you asked him about the mains? I agree studs in all lower holes is stronger cap holding and less force on the block. A worth while investment if you have a few extra dollars.

@n8in8or
I know you are running Kennedy's girdle in yours. And I had not found girdles that were worth a crud before for the 6.5. But I never investigated his. I do like girdles on any high compression of engine. Did you get his because only current available or does it hit good spec numbers and lots of users with long life history? Did you stud center only and bolts to end caps?
Basically idk how far into mine I will be but if I get into it that far would like to figure if that is the best way to go currently. The guys that engineered mine in the 90's are long gone and I wasn't smart enough to keep info around for personal use.:facepalm: The extra info can help or friend from Wa decide on it to I imagine.
Click to expand...

As I was finishing up my build the second time I started to think, "hey, while I'm in here, I should probably put ARP studs in the mains of this thing". Of course I was already well on my way to having it assembled and I was anxious to get it back on the road since it's my daily driver. I did some exploring to see what studs were available and came up empty. So I called ARP to see if they had any studs that would work. They said they would have to do some investigating to see if they had anything for sure. The guy I talked to said that it wasn't just the overall length and the thread that mattered, but it was also the shoulder diameter that was important because that is critical for keeping the main caps from walking around. It was at that point that I decided it wasn't worth the effort based on my timeframe and stopped exploring. I figured that the next best thing was to do a girdle.....and since Kennedy's came with ARP studs for the outside, at least that was better than nothing. When I installed the girdle I made sure that it was flat on the main caps so that it wouldn't be introducing stress to the block, but as far as how "good" it is? Not sure. I figured it was better than nothing. To be honest though, it's just a piece of angle iron with holes drilled in it and cutouts for the crank bobweights machined in it. It's a DSG brand. I've never heard of that brand anywhere else. So basically I bought it out of convenience, I don't know if it's decent or if something better is available. All I know is that it helps an Optimizer live to 350whp and 600wtq....

Since then, I've read that the head bolts for a Ford 2.3 will work as main studs in a 6.5. I don't know how true that is, or how well they truly work (like to ARP's point, do they have the correct shoulder dimensions to work as main studs??), but I think a few people at the other site are using them successfully. If one was to get the 2.3 head studs and also get a girdle kit, you'd have all ARP hardware in the bottom end except for the 4 corners, and since those are on the extreme corners, but threaded into heavy bulkheads with 12mm bolts, I personally am least concerned about those.
 
Two vehicles I learned to drive in some 30+ years ago. 1970 VW beetle and 1978 Ford Pinto Wagon. The Ford had the 2300 engine. I helped my dad rebuild it with a mild cam and some headers. That thing ran pretty well. He actually got rid of it a few years ago when he moved back to the pacific northwest from Wyoming. Both were stick shifts. My mother could never get it through her head that the 2300 engine was made to rev. She was always lugging that thing. Somewhere around here I still have the broken piston skirt from that thing.
 
I thought they were amazing when I was a kid. Alloy block! Treated piston bores with no liner. Sounded like the leading edge of ultralight racing stuff only found in Italian racecars to me at the time.
 
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