<This post and several of those that originally followed it have been moved from the Manley 300M Pro Series I Beam Connecting Rods (<clickable) to their own thread because they weren't related to the original thread's subject matter and should have been a new thread and not an addition to the existing Manley connecting rod thread.>
The Teksid you have will serve you well, especially at a 1000HP and below threshold. The 1999 Teksid and the Aluminator used a WAP side bolt and main cap design that made the 10mm side bolts very easy to install. If you go the 10mm side bolt route be sure to use a thread forming tap not a thread cutting tap. You will only have a little over a single diameter of thread engagement and you will need an intimate thread engagement similar to that used on aluminum. When I did my caps I was shooting for a 76% to 78% thread engagement.
This is a pic of the first generation Mihovitz 10mm side bolts compared to a 9mm WAP side bolt.
The more recent versions have only half as much threaded shank on the bolt because that is all that is needed. The picture shows how nicely John had ARP integrate the washer into the bolt head. You can do the same thing with a heavy 1" OD washer for a ⅜" fastener and enlarge the hole to fit a 10mm fastener. If you choose to go this route don't forget to chamfer the side of the washer that goes against the underside of the bolt head. ARP provides a generous radius on the underside of their bolt heads for strength. You will need to chamfer the washer to clear that radius.
A modification to the caps that will make the regular assembly and disassembly, that is done during clearance checking and adjustment, easier is a ¼ x 20 or 28 threaded hole in the center of the cap like below,
This will allow the use of a slide hammer (homemade of course) to pull the caps out of the WAP style blocks. The Teksid blocks use a threaded steel insert with a hex broached in the center to allow an allen wrench to be used to apply a side load to the cap once it is installed in the block. The hex is broached all the way through so the 8mm side bolt can pass through and into the main cap. The ARP torque spec for 8mm bolts is 28 ft/lbs. The torque spec for the 10mm fastener is 62 ft/lbs (same as a main stud). The clamping force goes from about 6600 lbs to about 14,000 lbs - big difference.
Here is a quick rundown of how I did the side bolt upgrade.
The first step is zeroing the head on the mill and then setting the caps up so the bolt holes are parallel and normal to the cap faces. I use gauge pins in the spindle of the mill to find accurate hole centers. Then I drill an undersized hole ~0.015" smaller than what the tap drill chart calls out for the 10mm thread forming tap you will be using. BTW it is easier if the mill has a DRO but not impossible if it does not.
I write down the X-Y co-ordinates for each hole so I can come back afterwards with the reamer and tap. If the mill does not have a DRO then you need to drill, ream and thread each hole before moving on to the next.
This is the reaming operation. The reamer (like the drill before hand) is chosen for a 10mm thread forming tap hole size. Reaming the hole to size gives more control over finished hole dimensions and % thread engagement.
After reaming the holes I come back with the thread forming tap and use the spindle on the mill to make certain the tap is perfectly vertical and the threads will be square with the face of the cap.
After the cap is tapped, I use a chamfering tool to remove the raised burr on the cap and lightly block sand the face to remove any metal protrusions the debuting tool may have left.
This is the difference between the OEM 9mm fasteners and the ARP 10mm fasteners. Infact that is one of the ARP 10mm fasteners that you use a thick 1" OD washer with.
With set up and all it takes a couple of hours to do a set but it is well worth the effort. Don't forget to zero the head on your mill before you start this modification. The first time you torque these side bolts down and they come up to their 62 ft/lb spec with a crisp click on the torque wrench you will be glad you took the time.
The Teksid you have will serve you well, especially at a 1000HP and below threshold. The 1999 Teksid and the Aluminator used a WAP side bolt and main cap design that made the 10mm side bolts very easy to install. If you go the 10mm side bolt route be sure to use a thread forming tap not a thread cutting tap. You will only have a little over a single diameter of thread engagement and you will need an intimate thread engagement similar to that used on aluminum. When I did my caps I was shooting for a 76% to 78% thread engagement.
This is a pic of the first generation Mihovitz 10mm side bolts compared to a 9mm WAP side bolt.
The more recent versions have only half as much threaded shank on the bolt because that is all that is needed. The picture shows how nicely John had ARP integrate the washer into the bolt head. You can do the same thing with a heavy 1" OD washer for a ⅜" fastener and enlarge the hole to fit a 10mm fastener. If you choose to go this route don't forget to chamfer the side of the washer that goes against the underside of the bolt head. ARP provides a generous radius on the underside of their bolt heads for strength. You will need to chamfer the washer to clear that radius.
A modification to the caps that will make the regular assembly and disassembly, that is done during clearance checking and adjustment, easier is a ¼ x 20 or 28 threaded hole in the center of the cap like below,
This will allow the use of a slide hammer (homemade of course) to pull the caps out of the WAP style blocks. The Teksid blocks use a threaded steel insert with a hex broached in the center to allow an allen wrench to be used to apply a side load to the cap once it is installed in the block. The hex is broached all the way through so the 8mm side bolt can pass through and into the main cap. The ARP torque spec for 8mm bolts is 28 ft/lbs. The torque spec for the 10mm fastener is 62 ft/lbs (same as a main stud). The clamping force goes from about 6600 lbs to about 14,000 lbs - big difference.
Here is a quick rundown of how I did the side bolt upgrade.
The first step is zeroing the head on the mill and then setting the caps up so the bolt holes are parallel and normal to the cap faces. I use gauge pins in the spindle of the mill to find accurate hole centers. Then I drill an undersized hole ~0.015" smaller than what the tap drill chart calls out for the 10mm thread forming tap you will be using. BTW it is easier if the mill has a DRO but not impossible if it does not.
I write down the X-Y co-ordinates for each hole so I can come back afterwards with the reamer and tap. If the mill does not have a DRO then you need to drill, ream and thread each hole before moving on to the next.
This is the reaming operation. The reamer (like the drill before hand) is chosen for a 10mm thread forming tap hole size. Reaming the hole to size gives more control over finished hole dimensions and % thread engagement.
After reaming the holes I come back with the thread forming tap and use the spindle on the mill to make certain the tap is perfectly vertical and the threads will be square with the face of the cap.
After the cap is tapped, I use a chamfering tool to remove the raised burr on the cap and lightly block sand the face to remove any metal protrusions the debuting tool may have left.
This is the difference between the OEM 9mm fasteners and the ARP 10mm fasteners. Infact that is one of the ARP 10mm fasteners that you use a thick 1" OD washer with.
With set up and all it takes a couple of hours to do a set but it is well worth the effort. Don't forget to zero the head on your mill before you start this modification. The first time you torque these side bolts down and they come up to their 62 ft/lb spec with a crisp click on the torque wrench you will be glad you took the time.