Fun, fun - lightning struck the PC over the weekend and blew the modem........ finally back up this afternoon.

Here's a pretty sight and maybe another first - ARP studs to fit 3.0L SOHC main bearing saddles - they're head studs for a '93 and earlier 2.0L 4G63. ARP packages a set as ARP# 207-4201:


Flats on the girdle were prepped with a file bridging 2 flats - stud length is good on a trial fit:



Except this one stud interferes with the oil pickup mounting leg and it must be ground shorter:


The lower part of the stud was ground until the overall length was 4.125" at which point the threads appeared to bottom - so, the top of the stud was also ground until the overall length was 4.00" - which loses most of the allen socket head, but just enough is left to turn the stud into the block, but not enough depth left to get any leverage to remove the stud - no problem, it can be removed after the girdle is off, but something to be aware of when installing this stud.

Next issue is to consider the forces at work on the main saddles - there is considerably more pressure exerted by these studs over the OE bolt torque spec..... I'm installing the studs at 80 lb-ft with ARP moly lubricant - that's a bunch of pressure and can distort the bore on some blocks. ARP recommends installing the studs at spec torque, then align honing the bore - something I'd like to avoid, so a bunch of checking has to be done to see if I can get by without the extra machine work.

First, I installed the main bearings and crankshaft without lubricant and checked the main clearances with Plastigage... I have .002" except for the rear and it's about .001-.0015", so that's ok, but doesn't tell me if the side-to-side dimension has been narrowed by pressure. Next, I removed the crankshaft, added 10W-30 oil to the bearing surfaces, retorqued the studs and spun the crank by hand to "feel" the clearance. The crank spun freely, so I removed it again, wiped off the 30W, added assembly lube, retorqued and "felt" it again - it still felt fine - so I'll risk not align honing the main bores.

Crankshaft end play is exactly .003":


So, all seems well in Studsville. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />

Frank