Don't use poor quality hardware when you install stuff on your engine.

I grabbed a few bolts to install my intake for Home Depot. Of course, not the ugly gold colored grade 8 bolts, I grabbed the shiny bolts (not even sure they were graded) I figured they would hold up to 30 pounds just fine. Any ways, I snugged em down and grabbed the torque wrench and and tightened them to 10 pounds. Next round I went to 20 pounds and a bolt snapped. Ripped it all back apart and luckily I was able to get the stub out with needle nose pliers.

All of this in the name of saving time and money and all I ended up with was some crappy bolts.....Sigh. I would like to think I would have learned by now.

I just ordered some ARP bolts from Summit.....

Anyone else have a similar story?

Duct tape works great as a waterpump gasket....for about 100 miles

Never had that prob.

I use ACE hardware grade 5 "shiny" bolts all the time on engines for low torqued acc. like the intake, water neck, water pump, timing cover, oil pan, alt bracket, etc

I use ARP main, rod, head bolts, dizzy stud, carb studs, damper bolt, flex plate and torque converter bolts

Yes, I won't get into the old failures, but now I put all my hardware in the vice and torque test them first. All because of that offshore crap! ARP is the way to go.

I don't use regular grade 5 or grade 2 bolts just on the grounds that they'll corrode in short time.

LOL hahaha ugly gold grade 8. That's a man's color baby!!

they were probably grade 2...go to a real hardware store and make sure the head has 3 lines stamped in the top of the head, a blank head means grade 2, which i wouldnt use for anything to be honest.

i used stainless bolts on my intake and timing cover (low torque apps only) because they won't ever corrode and look good. 18-8 stainless, has "THE" stamped in the head, IIRC this is 304 stainless.

this thread sparked my interest in finding out more about this...check this out...

http://www.boltdepot.com/fastener-information/Materials-and-Grades/Bolt-Grade-Chart.aspx

Made in china, home depot crap

I made the mistake of buying some wood screws from them a while back. My cordless drill kept snapping the heads off half of them, the other half would strip real easy.

I go to Lowe's. They got shiny grade8 bolts. I usually get grade8 and seems lots of sbc parts are a 24thread.

i used stainless bolts on my intake and timing cover (low torque apps only) because they won't ever corrode and look good. 18-8 stainless, has "THE" stamped in the head, IIRC this is 304 stainless.

My local hardware store sells THE bolts. I use them on anything not internal or bell housing, never had a problem. Use washers, and lots of Locktite. Also use Phillips stainless screws on valve covers.

I did the same thing back when I was 18 and working on my first car. I did a cam swap in my Mustang and lost an intake bolt. Rather than buying the right bolt I decided to "save some money" and use a similar length/thread bolt from the Coffee Can Full Of Bolts that everyone seems to have.

I wound up busting off the bolt, of course. I had to remove the entire intake and drill out the bolt (couldn't get it with vice grips). I wound up spending a bunch of money on an easy-out, a Heli-coil, a new grade-5 bolt, new intake gaskets, etc.

It always comes back to the old adage: Do you want to pay to do it right the first time, or do you want to pay more to do it right the second time?

Yeah Ive picked up plenty of stainless bolts at the hardware store for exposed things

I go to Lowe's. They got shiny grade8 bolts. I usually get grade8 and seems lots of sbc parts are a 24thread.


oopss was in the garage and decided to look at my bolts, an all my grade8 bolts are the bronzeish color.

I must have just grabbed 1 crappy bolt that was made on Friday afternoon.

It seems like whenever I want to save a buck and a little time, the worst always happens and I end up spending more money.

ARPs should be here today. The black should go well with my color combo any ways.....Oh well.

You mean that there's a torque spec for intake bolts? Wow, you mean that after hand tightening intake for 50+ years by feel and never breaking an intake bolt or having a leak that I should have been using a torque wrench to tighten them? Just kidding.

Seriously, 99.9% of the time, you can't get a straight shot on the four center intake to head bolts anyway so you can't use a torque wrench on them anyway.


Most of those bolts that you get at the box stores aren't really graded or are from China where they stamp the grade on the head of the bolt no matter what it actually is = bolt failures.

I never buy a bolt from a box store that has to be used in a critical area of any project. EVER! I either buy them from Fastenal, or buy ARP hardware. Period.

You mean that there's a torque spec for intake bolts? Wow, you mean that after hand tightening intake for 50+ years by feel and never breaking an intake bolt or having a leak that I should have been using a torque wrench to tighten them? Just kidding.

Seriously, 99.9% of the time, you can't get a straight shot on the four center intake to head bolts anyway so you can't use a torque wrench on them anyway.


Most of those bolts that you get at the box stores aren't really graded or are from China where they stamp the grade on the head of the bolt no matter what it actually is = bolt failures.

I never buy a bolt from a box store that has to be used in a critical area of any project. EVER! I either buy them from Fastenal, or buy ARP hardware. Period.
hardware store bolts for what? :screwup:

On my Weiand intake, you can barely get a wrench on the center bolts right under the carb. There is no way a socket would fit on them.

I'm not sure how you could get the proper torque. I just get them as tight as I can with the wrench.

On my Weiand intake, you can barely get a wrench on the center bolts right under the carb. There is no way a socket would fit on them.

I'm not sure how you could get the proper torque. I just get them as tight as I can with the wrench.


Install the intake before the carb??:D

I wash and wire brush the stock bolts.
I'm CHEAP!
Never used a Torque wrench on an intake. Just normal combination wrenh or 3/8" ratchet handle tight.

Thank god I live in Germany.

You dont have to care about bad quality even in stores like Home Depot, or other Do-It-yourself stores.
Most Stores have 8.8 grade srews or even 10.2 screws. And if you look closer or need some better you even get the 12."whatever it is" screws. --- But try to find some in inch -- :)) metric only :(

Thank god I live in Germany.

You dont have to care about bad quality even in stores like Home Depot, or other Do-It-yourself stores.
Most Stores have 8.8 grade srews or even 10.2 screws. And if you look closer or need some better you even get the 12."whatever it is" screws. --- But try to find some in inch -- :)) metric only :(
In Germany, you do it better, right. ;)

I wash and wire brush the stock bolts.
I'm CHEAP!
Never used a Torque wrench on an intake. Just normal combination wrenh or 3/8" ratchet handle tight.

X2
andy

Crappy bolts are well, crappy! Some of the worst ones have the heads pressed on, and the threads STAMPED on...not threaded!

Here's my rule:

Is it a drivetrain bolt? ARP black oxide.
Can it be seen? ARP 12 point stainless.
Anything not listed above? I go to a local place called Tacoma Screw.
(bolts with GM part number may also be used)

Want to hear something really scarey? We bought some studs for the back of my friends 57' and went to replace them because 1 of the old ones broke.

While installing the new ones, three in a row broke. They felt like they were made of taffy. I had a stack of washers and a 3/8" rachet and was just spinning the nut against the washers and pulling the stud in, not even putting any real force, and they were letting go just above the knurling.

I felt the third one stretching and backed it off and it had stretched 1/4". And they were marked as grade 8. Checked the box - made in china. Hitting them with a file showed they were softer than the grade 2 hardware store bolts.

I found an older parts store with some that were made in mexico, and they went right in without a problem.

Install the intake before the carb??:D

Thats how I do it. The problem is a socket won't fit on the bolt head because it hits the intake.

Vortec manifold bolts only need like 6 foot pounds ;) And the bolts can all be torqued down with a torque wrench! Vortecs rule

Hand tight,then snug up with a wrench.Never use a torque wrench on an intake.

I run grade 8 everything on my motor. It might not need it in certain places, but I like to have piece of mine for just a few bucks more.

I clean up old stock bolts, I'm not into vanity, just practical performance.

I have always got my bolts from Ace hardware. Arp if its a internal.

You can take gold grade 8 bolts and remove the gold color.
If I remember right I used a wire wheel on a bench grinder.

Really?......Is it that hard to find STOCK SBC fasteners?

i like stainless allenheads for all of the visible stuff.(intake, timing cover, carb base, valve covers,etc)