2014 ARP Catalog

TRIBUTE TO SMOKEY YUNICK

THE COMPANY

“It’s to your advantage to know fasteners.” To thoroughly understand it all would require at least 4 spe- cific engineering degrees and 20 years of hands on experience in each. Nothing is forever, but take my word for it, ARP is the only game in town today. Just about every successful racer I know today uses their stuff 100%. You can help yourself in reference to mate- rial specs, thread lubes and torque techniques, also in fastener maintenance and handling. If you do a good job here, you’ll never lose position in a race from fastener failure. There are many “little things” to consider 1. When you use a locking chemical for studs, bolts or even nuts, consider if you really need it. 2. If you are using a locking chemical, don’t force nuts off or studs out without a proper first step, like heat or release chemical. 3. If you can’t easily screw a nut and bolt together by hand they shouldn’t be used. 4. Consider the importance in regard to how many exposed threads are left when fastener is set. Turns out this has a bearing on necessary torque and ultimate strength of the fastener. 5. Gradually try to understand and learn the difference in the various steels used in fasteners. 6. Turns out, the best way to consider a fastener as a spring of correct elasticity for that specific job. Yup, a fastener works best when stretched a specific amount. 7. You have got to start studying fasteners just like you do pistons, cranks, rods, etc. There’s a lot to learn if you know what to look for. 8. The more you understand all the design limitations of fasteners, the better the engine durability will be. 9. If you can’t stretch the bolt enough, it can still fatigue, lose torque or get loose. 10. Use a stretch gauge whenever possible. This is the only fool- proof method of getting the correct clamping force. 11. Get access to a master gauge to check your torque wrenches. You’d be surprised at how many torque wrenches read incor- rect. 12. Don’t forget that you’ll get different torque readings when using different lubricants. 13. Always use ARP fastener assembly lubricant whenever possible. Get the “Inside Scoop” in Smokey’s book... In addition to being one of racing’s most famous innovators and personalities, Smokey Yunick was known for being opin- ionated on many matters. He told it like it was, according to Smokey. Before his passing, Yunick spent considerable effort compiling anecdotes from his illustrious career. It’s a “must have” book for anyone who is into auto racing. From Daytona Beach to Indy, Smokey lets it rip!

Yesterday, fastener technology was pretty much “cut and try.” Often times the thinking was, if it breaks go to one size bigger. The game of substituting aircraft fasteners didn’t work either. Although the quality was there, aviation fasteners simply didn’t exist for across-the-board substitution. They still don’t. In real life there was no bullet-proof manufacturer of fasten- ers specifically for race cars. There were attempts by various For many years “Smokey” Yunick served as a valued tech consultant and spokesman for ARP. He was a popular host of our Tech Seminars at trade shows, and his knowledge of fasteners was truly astounding. Smokey passed away in 2001, but his wit and wisdom will live on. Here are a few of his observations and tech tips. R.I.P, Smokey!

fastener manufacturers to claim expertise on a few spe- cial applications like rod bolts and wheel studs. But in real- ity, results were mixed, from good to terrible. It’s this simple; properly designing racing fasteners requires the skills of metal- lurgists, stress analysts and engineers. And to make them requires special machinery and manufacturing techniques. It is also a fact that there is no way to do this cheaply, or in high volume production. I was asked to be a spokes- man for ARP. Because I had never done this before, I made

Hall of Fame Mechanic “Smokey” Yunick

it a point to visit the ARP manufacturing facilities to see if their products were good enough for me to endorse comfortably. The visit blew my mind. I’ve been around some nut and bolt joints before, but nothing I’d seen before could compare with the quality of inspection of the raw materials and their manufacturing process. Examining the “Over-Kill” fallacy If there’s one thing I’ve heard over and over from visitors to trade shows and races it’s, “Your fasteners are great. I’m not having any problems but I’m being told, by your competitors, that ARP is over- kill and therefore I’m wasting some money when I buy ARP pan bolts, manifold bolts or just about everything except for certain critical engine, drive train or suspension fasteners.” My first instinct is to say they are full of _ _ _ _. But the subject is worth talking about. Cost is an important consideration when you choose a particular vendor’s offering. Still, if you use lesser quality fasteners and they were not subject to many assembly and disassembly cycles, by people with varying skills from professional to rank amateur. Maybe, just maybe, you could make a case for minimum grade fasteners that are over designed, size-wise, to allow a reasonably safe application for conservative usage. Now, lets get back in our world. The real world. We can expect the engines and vehicles to be leaned on, from a little to beyond any sensible extreme. We can expect 10 or more assembly/disas- sembly cycles. We can expect over-torquing, which will leave the fastener looking 100% but actually in a condition RED, semi- failed mode. We can expect some fasteners that are minimal in quality to end up in a critical, high-stress area. We can’t expect everyone to be able to look at a fastener and determine its quality by looks, or even by markings. So we leave ourselves wide open for expensive and possibly dangerous results. For the amount of money saved by “type rating” every fastener’s capability, and consideration of a long range view of the best mix of customers, I recommend all fasteners be of a quality that does exceed the mini- mum standards.

For details on purchasing Smokey’s book or apparel visit www.SmokeyYunick.com

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