HELP!! Cannot seperate Rod Caps for 440

[ChargerRT69]

Alright, I am in the middle of my restoration of my 69 Charger R/T. I had a machine shop do the work on the engine as well as they checked the LY rods, put new
ARP High Performance Series Connecting Rod Bolt (P/N 145-6002), assembled the pin and balanced the new ICON forged pistons (P/N IC968-030) with the rods.

The problem that I am having now is separating the caps from the main rod so I can fit the rod bearings in and file the oil port. I have tried a dead blow on loosened bolts (got 2 to separate), I have tried a strong center punch in the dimple of the ARP bolt and was tapping while holding the cap over a old wooden baseball bat, I have now purchased a ROD SPLITING FIXTURE TOOL (Proform #66773) and tried it tonight and am so frustrated since I cannot even get these to split apart with this new tool. This is the first time that I have built an engine, so maybe I have been mislead by some forums on "How to" do some things.

Can anyone help me out of this nightmare so I can start moving on building this engine?

Thanks ahead of time for your assistance!

 

[Badvert65]

Have you tried just knocking out the rod bolts, or at least one of them?

 

[snakeoil24]

Bring the rods back to machine shop and have them take care of it. Are the rod bolts correct types ? use a square and check to see if they where pressed in straight.

 

[Meep-Meep]

Avoid knocking the rod bolts out or hammering. Taking to machine shop for them to separate is a good idea. It is tough to do sometimes, especially if you don't have the tools.

 

[ChargerRT69]

Do the caps get easier to separate after the time of splitting? What do you do when you plastigauge the rods to the crank? How do you separate them then?

I thought the Proform tool that I bought would help get them apart, but it won't. I am baffled!

 

[ChargerRT69]

Just an update. I took a different approach tonight and finially got all the caps apart. A little afraid to put them together again... LOL! Onto the next step!

 

[snakeoil24]

A lite tap with a plastic headed hammer. But use it very carefully. Plenty of oil on the rod bolts. Are you using the new ARP stretch bolts?

 

[ChargerRT69]

A lite tap with a plastic headed hammer. But use it very carefully. Plenty of oil on the rod bolts. Are you using the new ARP stretch bolts?

I am using ARP bolts and Engine machinist torqued them to the required 50 ft-lb versus the stretch method (being new, I did not specify). I am not sure when I put the rods onto the crankshaft what I need to do now? I have read about using plastigauge strips and was told by one individual that I needed to do this when installing the rods to verify that they are torqued correctly. Is this right?

I did get the rod caps apart last night with some careful work.

 

[dvw]

Caps can be tough to remove with fresh resized rods. I usually put the cap itself in a vice and wiggle the rod in the direction of the pin boss. Use 3/4" 90 degree aluminum between the jaws to avoid marring the rod. Do not knock the bolts out. On the motor the cap can be wiggled off with a large pair of channel locks. Grasp on the ends (where the stamped cylinder numbers would be). Use care not to chew up the cap. 50 lbs with Moly will be plenty sufficient. Using rod stretch is not for the beginning engine builder. Takes a good tool and some finesse to get correct.
Doug

 

[ChargerRT69]

I appreciate any and all advice since this is my first experience. Thanks Again!