Dang it...Help! Issues with bellhousing bolts, did I strip the block?

CaifanSC

SCCoA Member
Ok, so im bolting up the bellhousing and i find that 3 of the bolts dont go in all the way. Its weird...they start threading...they actually catch thread...but at one point they just do not go deeper. IT doesnt bottom out either...they just keep spinning. When i took the old engine out I made a diagram of which bolts went where noting their lengths and stuff...and thats how they were reinstalled. Im stumped. I know i cant get away with not having 3 bolts tightened as they are supposed to...or can I? Oh, and the engine and trans are flush with each other, torque converter lined up properly and the nuts were torqued.

I was thinking that perhaps since i had to install/reinstall the top part of the engine stand to the back of the block several times, that I could have perhaps damaged the threads? What are my options right now? Im really hoping there's somethign else I can do besides having to remove the engine again and re-thread the block. Suggestions greatly appreciated!!
 
CaifanSC said:
Ok, so im bolting up the bellhousing and i find that 3 of the bolts dont go in all the way. Its weird...they start threading...they actually catch thread...but at one point they just do not go deeper. IT doesnt bottom out either...they just keep spinning. When i took the old engine out I made a diagram of which bolts went where noting their lengths and stuff...and thats how they were reinstalled. Im stumped. I know i cant get away with not having 3 bolts tightened as they are supposed to...or can I? Oh, and the engine and trans are flush with each other, torque converter lined up properly and the nuts were torqued.

I was thinking that perhaps since i had to install/reinstall the top part of the engine stand to the back of the block several times, that I could have perhaps damaged the threads? What are my options right now? Im really hoping there's somethign else I can do besides having to remove the engine again and re-thread the block. Suggestions greatly appreciated!!

Did you remove any of the questionable bolts and examine the threads? And I know you said the bolts aren't bottoming out, but are you sure? I find it hard to believe you stripped a total of 3 bolt holes (or even one) in the block. Maybe the threads on the bolts weren't i the greatest shape when you tried to reinstall them.

Regardless, I definitely wouldn't try running with 3 of the bolts loose.
 
caifan, let me be the first to say those are some hard holes to strip out. i have rambo'd the wrong bolt in those holes once or twice and the only thing it hurt was me and the bolt :). you sure you got the right bolts? sounds like there may be a thread difference or something. the trns is on the dowels right? flush weith the block? make sure you can still turn the converter. dont want to bind that stuff up in there. if you cant put a wrench on one of the converter nuts and turn the converter/motor, you may be bound up. DAMN i need to get to work on my car man!!!!!
 
Thanx for the replies fellows...i didntn get to do a 'swap' per se of bolts...like I said, since i did that diagram thing, i just put back the bolts where they came out of but today im going to do just that...im gonna take a bolt that actually threaded in correctly and put it in a hole that didnt thread in correctly and vice versa. I was also thinking of trying the bolts from the stand to see if those hooked correctly.

22lbsofboost...another friend said exactly the same thing, that its really hard to strip the threads on teh block....i really do hope so and i hope I only have to get new bolts. Does anybody know the thread size on these?
 
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