[LMSRACER]

Originally Posted by grandville455

I talked to my machinist today and he said same thing, He wants the most straight down clamping force possible, and will sometimes ream out caps .030-.060 so there is absolutely no side pressure on the shoulder of the bolt and its all on the washer!...

You may already know this, but it's imperative that when you assemble your engine, that you do so with the "Same Exact" fasteners that were employed during the align boring and honing process. In your case, the Grade 8 Bolts that were supplied by Butlers.

ARP Studs don't stretch as much, (when torqued to the same specification), providing greater clamping forces, and the body of the stud tends to be larger in diameter than the body of the bolts that were used. That last part pertains to, and is in relation to, the size of the hole that your machinist has reamed into the main caps.

Your machinist is 100% correct and having the outer "Splayed" holes drilled into the block at the exact angle/centerline as the Main Caps is critical. Although, believe me when I say that I've seen it done wrong.

Have a good one,
Larry S.