Fasteners-Bolts-Washers
Pontiac V8 Fasteners-Bolts-Washers
Clamp Load Done Right — Fasteners-Bolts-Washers for Pontiac V8s
Fasteners, bolts and washers are the cheapest insurance on a Pontiac V8 build and the part most often left to chance. Head bolts, main studs, rod bolts, rocker studs and dowel pins all carry real load, and the correct kit depends on which cylinder heads, which main caps and which block are in front of you.
Butler stocks ARP head bolt and head stud kits for D-port, round port, Ram Air and Edelbrock heads, ARP and Butler Opti-Torque main stud kits, rocker stud and polylock conversion kits, dowel pins, and complete stainless accessory bolt kits packaged here in Lawrenceburg.
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Pontiac V8 Engine Bolt Kits
One Box, Whole Engine — Engine Bolt Kits for Pontiac V8s
An engine bolt kit is the whole outside of the engine in one box — intake, valve covers,...More Details »
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Pontiac V8 Carb/EFI Bolt Kits
Bolting the Top On — Carb/EFI Bolt Kits for Pontiac V8s
Carburetor and EFI mounting hardware looks trivial until a stud is the wrong length and the...More Details »
Pontiac V8 Crank & Cam - Bolts & Washers
Front of the Engine — Crank & Cam - Bolts & Washers for Pontiac V8s
The crank and cam hardware at the front of a Pontiac V8 is small, cheap...More Details »
Pontiac V8 Engine Mount Bolts & Kits
Body by Body — Engine Mount Bolts & Kits for Pontiac V8s
Engine mount bolt kits are chassis parts, not engine parts. What fits a 1964-72 A-body...More Details »
Pontiac V8 Flexplate/Flywheel Bolts
Behind the Crank — Flexplate/Flywheel Bolts for Pontiac V8s
Flexplate and flywheel bolts tie the rotating assembly to the transmission side of...More Details »
Pontiac V8 Head Bolt & Head Stud Kits
Bolts or Studs — Head Bolt & Head Stud Kits for Pontiac V8s
Head bolt and head stud kits are the clamping load that holds a Pontiac head gasket...More Details »
Pontiac V8 Header Bolts
Hot and Hard to Reach — Header Bolts for Pontiac V8s
Header bolts live in the worst place on the engine: red hot, hard to reach, and loosening every heat...More Details »
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Pontiac V8 Intake Bolt Kits
Even and Correct — Intake Bolt Kits for Pontiac V8s
Intake manifold bolts on a Pontiac V8 pull the manifold down against two head flanges at an angle, so...More Details »
Pontiac V8 Main Studs
Hold the Bottom End — Main Studs for Pontiac V8s
Main studs replace the factory main cap bolts with a stud that stays threaded in the block and a nut that does...More Details »
Pontiac V8 Oil Pump, Oil Pan Bolts and Drain Plugs
Under the Engine — Oil Pump, Oil Pan Bolts and Drain Plugs for Pontiac V8s
Oil pan and oil pump hardware is low-torque,...More Details »
Pontiac V8 Rocker Arm Studs
Screw-In or Nothing — Rocker Arm Studs for Pontiac V8s
Rocker arm studs carry every bit of valve spring load on a Pontiac V8, and the factory press-in...More Details »
Pontiac V8 Rod Bolts
The Hardest-Working Fastener — Rod Bolts for Pontiac V8s
Rod bolts are the highest-stressed fastener in a Pontiac V8. They see every inertia load the piston...More Details »
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Pontiac V8 Valley Pan and Windage Tray Bolt Kits
Sealing the Valley, Hanging the Tray — Valley Pan and Windage Tray Bolt Kits for Pontiac V8s
Valley pan and windage tray fasteners...More Details »
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Pontiac V8 Valve Cover Bolt Kits
Eight Foot-Pounds — Valve Cover Bolt Kits for Pontiac V8s
Valve cover hardware is decided by the cover and the gasket, not by the engine. A stock...More Details »
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Pontiac V8 Water Pump / Timing Cover / Thermostat Bolt Kits
Count the Bolts First — Water Pump / Timing Cover / Thermostat Bolt Kits for Pontiac V8s
The front cover of a Pontiac V8 is...More Details »
Pontiac V8 Kits, Sets, & Misc Fasteners
The Rest of the Hardware — Kits, Sets, & Misc Fasteners for Pontiac V8s
This is the odds and ends section of Pontiac hardware — the...More Details »
Pontiac V8 Dowel Pins
Locate It Before You Clamp It — Dowel Pins for Pontiac V8s
Dowel pins locate parts that bolts only clamp. On a Pontiac V8 they index the cylinder heads to the...More Details »
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More About Fasteners-Bolts-Washers
1. Head Bolts and Head Studs
Pontiac head fasteners are not one part number. The kit is chosen by the cylinder head casting, not by the block or the displacement.
| D-port, 1967 and later | ARP D-port bolt and stud kits cover 1967-79 cast iron heads. ARP High Performance bolts are rated at 170,000 psi, about 15 percent stronger than Grade 8, with hardened parallel-ground washers, and their reduced hex and flanged head let you re-torque without pulling the valvetrain. |
| Round port | Separate kits cover Ram Air II, Ram Air IV, HO and Super Duty round port heads in bolt and stud form, plus a dedicated Ram Air V stud kit in 8740 chromoly with washers included. |
| Early heads | Kits cover 1964 and earlier heads except Super Duty, and 1965-66 389-421 D-port. Watch the 1966 092 and 093 castings, which use a longer center bolt with a reduced shoulder and need their own kit. |
| Edelbrock and KRE | Edelbrock changed the RPM round port head on 3-15-02 and the fastener kit changed with it, so there are early and later style kits. The later round port studs also fit KRE D-port heads, and Edelbrock D-port Performer heads take their own kits. |
| Bolts or studs | Studs give more consistent clamp load and a cleaner torque reading, and they are the right call on an aluminum block or a high cylinder pressure build. Bolts are fine on a stock rebuild and easier to live with when the heads come off in the car. |
2. Step Washers for Aluminum Heads
Older aluminum heads that have been torqued several times, with exhaust heat working on them over the years, start to collapse at the top of the stud hole. Step washers fix that permanently.
| What they do | The chromoly .500" inside diameter step washer presses into the top of the bolt hole so the aluminum can no longer pull into it. Butler stocks them singly and in sets of six and twenty. The head has to be machined for them, and the step reamer and spot face tool does the job in one operation. |
| How they go together | With the step washers installed, torque the head studs into the block at 30 ft-lbs. Re-torque the heads to 120 ft-lbs after the first heat cycle, then again after some miles or passes. |
3. Main Studs and Rod Bolts
The bottom end is where fastener choice turns into bearing life. Do not reuse hardware here.
| Main studs | ARP two-bolt and four-bolt main stud kits are the baseline. Butler's own kits use ARP studs with 12-point nuts on the front studs for oil pan clearance. The StreetMaster kits are built for Butler by Opti-Torque in the USA from domestic steel, thread rolled after heat treatment, and the TorqueMaster four-bolt kit steps up to 220 ksi, an upgrade over the 190 ksi ARP kit. A separate ARP 7/16 kit handles splayed outer caps. |
| Rod bolts | ARP 3/8" rod bolt kits cover 1963 and later cast rods at 200,000 psi and 1957-62 forged rods, and there is a 7/16" kit built specifically for 1973-74 Super Duty rods. Eagle rods take ARP2000 7/16" cap screws at 200,000 psi or ARP 8740 bolts at 180,000 psi. |
| Torque | Butler's published Pontiac spec for main caps is 95 ft-lbs with engine oil. Beyond that, follow the instructions and the lubricant supplied with your kit, because a torque figure is only valid with the friction the manufacturer assumed. |
4. Rocker Arm Studs and Press-In Conversions
Pontiac rocker studs come in several installed heights, and the wrong one shows up as a polylock that bottoms out or a rocker that runs out of adjustment.
| Installed height | 7/16" studs are stocked in 1.750", 1.900", 2.000" and 2.100" heights, in 180,000 and 200,000 psi versions. |
| Converting from press-in | Going from press-in to screw-in studs, Butler recommends a heli-coil and the 1.750" ARP stud, which has a thinner hex precisely because the stud boss has to be milled. Leave that milling to a qualified machine shop. |
| Polylock kits | Butler's stud and polylock upgrade kits for 1961-66 389-421 heads and for 1967 and later heads include machined washers so the polylock does not bottom out. |
| Early oiling | Some early 389 and 421 heads use through-stud oiling and the replacement studs have no oil holes, so run rocker arms and pushrods drilled for the through-stud application. |
5. Dowel Pins and Alignment
Dowels hold everything else in position, and they are easy to wreck if the holes are not prepared.
| Head, deck and main caps | 5/16 x 5/8 pins locate the head on the deck, with a 5/16 x 3/4 extra long pin where more engagement is wanted. Main cap kits are sold for two-bolt and four-bolt caps, with extra long 5/16 x 1 pins for the center three four-bolt caps. |
| Ream the holes | A 5/16 pin measures .3125" and the original hole is about .310", so the dowel holes need reaming or you risk cracking the main cap. Extra long bell housing dowels are stocked, including a Moroso pin with .021" of offset for correcting alignment. |
6. Stainless Accessory Bolt Kits
No reason to put fifty year old rusty hardware back on a freshly painted engine.
| Complete kit | The Butler engine accessory bolt kit for 1969-79 is a 131 piece stainless set in allen or hex head, labeled as ten component kits: intake manifold, valley cover, timing cover, water pump, oil pan, oil filter housing, thermostat housing, distributor, fuel pump and valve covers. It does not include head bolts or internal bolts, and the same sets are sold individually when only one area needs doing. |
| Valve covers | Bolt kits fit Butler and Moroso fabricated covers, with washers for thinner gaskets. The 24-piece stud kit only works on stock style covers or covers with a CNC bottom rail, not where the bolt passes down through the inside. |
| Oil pan and pump | Oil pan bolt and stud kits in stainless and from ARP and Moroso. The Butler oil pump kit uses high collar, small outside diameter lock washers that are less likely to ride up onto the chamfer of the pump casting. |
| Windage tray and valley pan | The tray kits are not interchangeable. The 8-piece kit is for the Tomahawk tray and the 4-piece kit is for the louvered tray, because the Tomahawk bolt heads will not clear a socket on it. Valley pan kits include the bonded neoprene washers. |
7. Intake, Header, Carb and Driveline Hardware
The odds and ends that hold up a build when they are missing from the bench.
| Intake | ARP intake manifold kits in hex and 12-point, black oxide or stainless, plus a 22-piece Butler stainless kit for 1965-79. |
| Headers | ARP stainless header bolts in hex and 12-point, 3/8-16 x 1", with a compact head for tight spots. On 1972 D-port heads with casting numbers 7K3, 7H1, 7J2, 7L4 and 7M5, Pontiac deleted the end bolt bosses, and the Spotts L-bracket sets restore a mounting point for headers or manifolds. Those fit 1972 heads only. |
| Carb and EFI | Carburetor studs in 5/16 including the Quadrajet kit, and a 1-1/2" Butler stud kit with 5/16-24 carb and 5/16-18 intake threads for Edelbrock and Holley carbs, EFI throttle bodies and air valves. |
| Distributor | The ARP distributor stud kit is recommended on all IA2 aluminum blocks to save wear on the threads in the block. |
| Driveline and prep | Bell housing, flexplate, flywheel, torque converter and pressure plate bolt kits, plus Butler and ARP thread chasers. Chase every hole first. |
Buy the kit that matches the head casting, the cap style and the block on your stand, not the one a generic Pontiac listing hands you. Not sure which head you have? Read us the casting number.
Rocker Arm Studs Rod Bolts Crank & Cam - Bolts & Washers Flexplate/Flywheel Bolts Engine Mount Bolts & Kits Header Bolts Oil Pump, Oil Pan Bolts and Drain Plugs Intake Bolt Kits
Not sure what your Pontiac needs?
Email our tech team at tech@butlerperformance.com. Tell us your engine, heads, car, and power goal, and we will put the parts together as one combination that works.