Satinless water pump bolts
Safety Car
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 4,759
Likes: 1,647
From: Fairfax Virginia
I would suggest that you use some kind of anti-seize on the threads of the bolts. Stainless bolts are more brittle and will shear off if you get one stuck in the hole. And they are a pain in the butt to drill out when broken. Grade 8 hardware is very strong and hard, it is tougher than your average Stainless hardware.
On your water pump I might suggest you just use grade 8 bolts instead of the stainless. The same for any exhaust system attachment hardware.
A aircraft mechanic got me using the "Champion" (of Champion Spark plug fame) brand of anti-seize on all my spark plugs and any other important hardware. It is a thin mix with graphite in it. You could use the thicker anti-seize as well.
ARP hardware makes nice kits for most of GM's Engines. I bought one for my 1968 big block and they look beautiful 24 years after being installed during a rebuild of the engine. They give you a choice of what kind of head you get with your hardware. I have the 12 point style and am very happy with it. I believe that the ARP bolts are stronger than regular stainless bolts.
This is something I read at the ARP website:
"We recommend using ARP Ultra-Torque lube to ensure an even, accurate clamp load and to prevent thread galling. This is particularly important for stainless steel fasteners. The lube should be used under the head of the bolt or the bearing surface of the nut and on the threads, unless a thread sealer is used."
Copied from: http://arp-bolts.com/p/FAQ.php
That sounds like good advice coming from a quality company! Good luck with your project and may the bolts always come out as easy as they go in!
Best regards!
On your water pump I might suggest you just use grade 8 bolts instead of the stainless. The same for any exhaust system attachment hardware.
A aircraft mechanic got me using the "Champion" (of Champion Spark plug fame) brand of anti-seize on all my spark plugs and any other important hardware. It is a thin mix with graphite in it. You could use the thicker anti-seize as well.
ARP hardware makes nice kits for most of GM's Engines. I bought one for my 1968 big block and they look beautiful 24 years after being installed during a rebuild of the engine. They give you a choice of what kind of head you get with your hardware. I have the 12 point style and am very happy with it. I believe that the ARP bolts are stronger than regular stainless bolts.
This is something I read at the ARP website:
"We recommend using ARP Ultra-Torque lube to ensure an even, accurate clamp load and to prevent thread galling. This is particularly important for stainless steel fasteners. The lube should be used under the head of the bolt or the bearing surface of the nut and on the threads, unless a thread sealer is used."
Copied from: http://arp-bolts.com/p/FAQ.php
That sounds like good advice coming from a quality company! Good luck with your project and may the bolts always come out as easy as they go in!
Best regards!
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 11,470
Likes: 764
I would suggest that you use some kind of anti-seize on the threads of the bolts. Stainless bolts are more brittle and will shear off if you get one stuck in the hole. And they are a pain in the butt to drill out when broken. Grade 8 hardware is very strong and hard, it is tougher than your average Stainless hardware.
On your water pump I might suggest you just use grade 8 bolts instead of the stainless. The same for any exhaust system attachment hardware.
A aircraft mechanic got me using the "Champion" (of Champion Spark plug fame) brand of anti-seize on all my spark plugs and any other important hardware. It is a thin mix with graphite in it. You could use the thicker anti-seize as well.
ARP hardware makes nice kits for most of GM's Engines. I bought one for my 1968 big block and they look beautiful 24 years after being installed during a rebuild of the engine. They give you a choice of what kind of head you get with your hardware. I have the 12 point style and am very happy with it. I believe that the ARP bolts are stronger than regular stainless bolts.
This is something I read at the ARP website:
"We recommend using ARP Ultra-Torque lube to ensure an even, accurate clamp load and to prevent thread galling. This is particularly important for stainless steel fasteners. The lube should be used under the head of the bolt or the bearing surface of the nut and on the threads, unless a thread sealer is used."
Copied from: http://arp-bolts.com/p/FAQ.php
That sounds like good advice coming from a quality company! Good luck with your project and may the bolts always come out as easy as they go in!
Best regards!
On your water pump I might suggest you just use grade 8 bolts instead of the stainless. The same for any exhaust system attachment hardware.
A aircraft mechanic got me using the "Champion" (of Champion Spark plug fame) brand of anti-seize on all my spark plugs and any other important hardware. It is a thin mix with graphite in it. You could use the thicker anti-seize as well.
ARP hardware makes nice kits for most of GM's Engines. I bought one for my 1968 big block and they look beautiful 24 years after being installed during a rebuild of the engine. They give you a choice of what kind of head you get with your hardware. I have the 12 point style and am very happy with it. I believe that the ARP bolts are stronger than regular stainless bolts.
This is something I read at the ARP website:
"We recommend using ARP Ultra-Torque lube to ensure an even, accurate clamp load and to prevent thread galling. This is particularly important for stainless steel fasteners. The lube should be used under the head of the bolt or the bearing surface of the nut and on the threads, unless a thread sealer is used."
Copied from: http://arp-bolts.com/p/FAQ.php
That sounds like good advice coming from a quality company! Good luck with your project and may the bolts always come out as easy as they go in!
Best regards!
- anti-seize with all stainless, and I would definitely use grade 8 hardware over stainless, but for the most part grade 8 is overkill. at a minimum, use the same grade that the factory used. as a side note, i'm thinking grade 8 is only about 25% "stronger" than grade 5 hardware anyway, but then again, G8 doesn't hurt anything. G5 hardware has sufficient clamping force for this application. the important thing with the WP fasteners, in this case is using the proper torque value, and equally important, using a quality thread sealant, especially (i'm thinking) the upper LH mounting bolt that goes into the water jacket. 
for champion anti-seize, and ARP is top shelf stuff hardware - 
