Connecting rod bolts

[myvolkswagen]

Do I really have to take my rods and arp bolts to the machine shop again to have them resize and press in? Btw is there a special way to take out stock ones or can you just bang them out?

[maxfax]

I'm curious about this myself, but for taking the old bolts out, just give em a whack!

[myvolkswagen]

Yes someone knowledgable please reply

[theman53]

I took mine to a machinist. He whacked the old bolts out with a ball peen hammer and used the same hammer to put them in. He then torqued them to spec 45lbs IIRC and checked to see if they needed resized and they did not.
In summary you could put the bolts in yourself and then check to see if they need it. I was handling the con rods like glass and my machinist said that if it was a 23:1 comp engine and I needed to handle like glass then they would never make it. I still wrapped them in my towels and took them home.

[myvolkswagen]

It says right in the arp instructions NOT to hit them sigh a hdmmer. No way I could get them in without one. Maybe a rubber mallet? I don't want to take them to a shop to have them smashed with a hammer cuz I cdn do that myself

[truckinwagen]

they are supposed to be put in with a press, hitting them with a hammer "could" deform them and weaken the rod/bolt

whatever you do, you need to check and see if the big end is still round after the install.

[RabbitJockey]

i took mine to the machine shop, got the bolts pressed in, resized, polished, and new bushings. was under a 100 dollars for all that, honestly tho it doesn't look like they did anything special to polish them, just ground them down and balanced them, not mirror finished or anything

[maxfax]

 Indeed the new bolts need to be pressed in by some means...  Some creative use of a deep socket and a good c-clamp will accomplish this though.. 

 I finally sucked it up and pressed mine in today..  I checked with my crappy gauges, then stopped by the machine shop and had them check too..  They were fine.. I'm guessing that ARP puts that in there to cover their butt, but it can't hurt to have them checked out at any rate..

[sdwarf36]

i took mine to the machine shop, got the bolts pressed in, resized, polished, and new bushings. was under a 100 dollars for all that, honestly tho it doesn't look like they did anything special to polish them, just ground them down and balanced them, not mirror finished or anything

Polishing is probably not the right term (but one alot of people use) de-burring would be more accurate.
 Anywhere you have have a change in direction in a casting, or a sharp edge, you have a chance of a "stress riser"-which might give a crack a place to start. If you grind down that little ridge on the beam of the rod to make it smooth with no edge, in theroy its "stronger". The accepted way would be down the beam length-wise.
There would be nothing more to gain by have it polished to a mirror finish. Its dark inside your motor-noone will see them. 
 What we do at our shop is tap them in with a brass hammer or with a brass drift.

[myvolkswagen]

So should I be worried about re sizing the rods when I put arp's in?

[RabbitJockey]

So should I be worried about re sizing the rods when I put arp's in?

you should check them or have someone else check them for you

[theman53]

I think the checking of roundness is the most important part. Those suckers go in HARD and could make it egg shaped by a thou or more. Mine didn't and everyone I talk to hasn't, but I would get them checked anyway. I bet you could press them in with a c clamp and a deep socket

[myvolkswagen]

What the hell. I'll just take them in

[theman53]

That is what I did...he only charged 10 dollars and it was in/out as I waited.

[VW Smokr]

OK, then... my engine's rods have been checked/re-sized/polished/etc, but... I didn't get ARP or any replacement bolts!!! Should I?

J.R.
SoCal