flex plate to torque converter?

[13lazer]

i cant remember but is there a special 3/8" bolt used between a small block flex plate and the th350 torque converter. A shoulder bolt or a different hex head. I cant believe the trouble im having lining these up right now. I dont recognize anything in my hardware pile either.
Thanx
aaron

 

[75-K5]

Moved to garage to get your more responses.

 

[jeff101]

I am not sure if there is a special bolt for that or not.
I just used 3/8" x 1" grade 8 bolt and nuts with no lock washer or anything and have not had any probs. with them loosening.
JEFF

 

[bayou blazer]

ARP makes a specific bolt set for that application through Summit Racing

ARP bolts

 

[pauly383]

They are fine thread , and used a 9/16 wrench to remove .

I don't have one in front of me at the moment , but I just yanked the motor off the th350 in the Chevelle , and could look at em when I get home .

 

[diesel4me]

Depends...

If its a nut and bolt style,I just use grade 8 bolts and nuts with some locktite..about an inch long..never had one fail yet..

If they thread into the converter,they are usually metric,and are special bolts..I've seen them on the "Dorman" rack at parts stores--I think the "HELP" rack has them too.(I heard Dorman sold out to Motormite Co,who makes the "HELP" stuff....another old time company bites the dust.. ..

 

[piletender29]

Just thoughtiwouldshare some info on your problem..ARP sells a set of bolts that work very well and also make sure that the converter is a three lug mount and not a four lug if so they gave you the wrong converter and also check to see if you have two different sets of mounting holes in the flex plate. this should help as i have run into this problem before godd luck

 

[89GMCSuburban]

*buzzer sound* The flexplate to crank bolts are fine thread...Torque converter bolts are course thread. They are just shouldered bolts. I even found some in a kit from Spectra at Auto Zone.

 

[Roz]

stock they are weird but i replaced minr with gr8's and doing fine
replacement ones were $18, napa grd8's were $2

 

[13lazer]

its up and running

i figured i would be upgrading to a 700r4 soon so i just muscled three 3/4" long ARP header bolts in there. They threaded into the torque converter. The reply on here about metric threads sounds like the problem i had, i never put in so much effort on a 3/8" coarse thread bolt in my life. Those bolts will never back out, i'm sure of that.
i really want to know the motive of the general motors engineer who decided on the random placement of metric bolts in American cars. What were they thinking?!