CLASS RACER FORUM - Wilkes GTO

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What happened to Joey Wilkes GTO E/SA?

Flywheel bolts keep backing off. Can,t keep them tight.

Hammer

Can the bolts be safety wired?

Quote:

Originally Posted by 427_ED (Post 169031)

Can the bolts be safety wired?

That stinks that he had that happening, Assuming the flywheel is steel, maybe he could have welded a small bead at the bolt head to the flywheel, and fixed it when he got home.

Does "flywheel bolts keep backing out" usually mean there's a balance problem, or??? Thanks. WJ

6 small sheet metal + signs hole in the middle for the bolt, spot tack 2 opposing sides of the + sign to the flywheel (if its steel), then bend the other 2 up in place and file tips so they are flat with the head. Thatll keep em from rotating. Unless the threads are buggered, but itll keep em from backing out anymore....

Like you said fix when you get home......

Quote:

Originally Posted by RJ (Post 169089)

That stinks that he had that happening, Assuming the flywheel is steel, maybe he could have welded a small bead at the bolt head to the flywheel, and fixed it when he got home.

Quote:

Originally Posted by W J (Post 169102)

Does "flywheel bolts keep backing out" usually mean there's a balance problem, or??? Thanks. WJ

Usually its the ???....... Bolts coming loose on a properly balanced engine ,and I'd have no reason to doubt Wilkes is'nt, usually results from a cracked crankshaft.,or a torque converter problem..............The LS1 has a rather long flywheel bolt ,due to the fact that most flywheel setups for adapting to a conventional converter/metric 200 trans,use a spacer between the crank flange and the flexplate, so it could be more suceptable to vibration loosening it. ..... ....I've never had to use anything other than medium strength Loctite to retain the bolts on an LS1..............Engine vibrations can cause strange things to happen to seemingly unrelated components. ......I recently had to remove a harmonic damper on a BBC that had welded itself to the crank snout due to a vibration caused by an out of balance torque converter!. ..........Tom

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Goldman (Post 169123)

The LS1 has a rather long flywheel bolt ,due to the fact that most flywheel setups for adapting to a conventional converter/metric 200 trans,use a spacer between the crank flange and the flexplate, so it could be more suceptable to vibration loosening it ..........Tom

I have a Metric 200 behind an LS1, I had the convertor made for the application. A spacer between the crank and flywheel doesn't sound appealing, do many do it that way?

ATI does. ....No problems so far on either of Matyas' LS1 cars. .........Tom

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tom Goldman (Post 169190)

ATI does. ....No problems so far on either of Matyas' LS1 cars. .........Tom

Does ATI offer a convertor that will bolt right up?, or is the spacer deal all they will do?