Connecting rod bolts

[maxfax]

Technically the rod bolts are supposed to be replaced as they are stretch bolts..  BUT I as well as others have reused them without issue..  If you're building some variety of fire breathing monster, new bolts are good insurance..  In my latest venture I have no idea how many times the engine had been monkied with (several at best) and opted to replace them.. I found the arp bolts (which are reuseable) were roughly the cost of stock replacement rod bolts so it was a no brainer...

[myvolkswagen]

I did the same. Arp was $20 more for me. Smokey eddy would tell you not to reuse those bolts

[RadoTD]

IMO, replace the bolts, but ARP is not required unless you're going absolutely nuts. High rpm's put the most stress on rod bolts and it's the same bolt as an ABA that people rev to 8000rpm before going ARP.
Diesel rods/pistons are a bit heavier, but I still wouln't worry at all until over 6000rpm

[myvolkswagen]

IMO, replace the bolts, but ARP is not required unless you're going absolutely nuts. High rpm's put the most stress on rod bolts and it's the same bolt as an ABA that people rev to 8000rpm before going ARP.
Diesel rods/pistons are a bit heavier, but I still wouln't worry at all until over 6000rpm

I agree it's not needed but if it's $20 more for arp and they are reusable then why not. Stockers are stupid expensive where I'm at anyway

[sdwarf36]

Yes-have the bores checked after new bolts are installed. But given how much heft there is on these, I'd be suprised if things changed.
 If you aren't able to check your ARP bolts with a strech gauge, (and even if you can) cycle the bolts with the suppiled moly on the threads AND under the nut 3 or 4 times-torque-undo-torque-undo. (we probably do 1000 arp rod bolts a year-never once do they stretch 1st shot) You are basiclly burnishing the new threads of the nuts to the new thread of the bolts. Remember-bolt stretch is what provides the clamping force-NOT how hard you have to turn the wrench.

 Rod bolts never fail in compression-so 23 to 1 isnt an issue-rpm is what makes them fail. Its the sudden decel at TDC-and pulling the piston back down. I went with ARP cuz we're a dealer-and I'm used to having good bolts.

[RabbitJockey]

arp bolts were actually cheaper than oem for me, i got them off amazon.com

[theman53]

arp bolts were actually cheaper than oem for me, i got them off amazon.com

X2, but the 10.00 for hammering and checking made it even...probably should do that with oem too I guess.

[myvolkswagen]

This was very informative thanks a ton

[fatmobile]

I had ARP bolts put in my last set of rods.
 They did need resized,.. i'm not sure if that was because of the ARP.
 
 You'll probably need to take them to a machine shop anyway, to have the bushings in the small end pressed-out and replaced, then reamed to fit the piston pins.
 Then they need rebalanced too.