Block main girdle

[More Power]

6.2/6.5 Main Cap Stud Girdle Kit
By Rick Pruit & TDP Staff
http://www.thedieselpage.com/reviews/rickpruit.htm

Product Review: Some 6.2/6.5 engine blocks have developed cracks that originate from the outer main bearing bolt holes. The Stud Girdle Kit from Diesel Services Group was designed to help solve this problem. By joining the center three main-webs together, dynamic forces are better contained and the studs eliminate the spreading force put on the block while torquing the main cap fasteners.

[TurboDiverArt]

This is nice. In the Buick racing world many people have used block girdles with great success. It's allowed people to push the stock block WAY past the design expectations. There are people pushing their stock blocks close to where my stage motor is running.

The Buick design is different in that all caps are tied together and also into the oil pan mating surface.

I assume to install this 6.5L version you need to pull the motor? Guess it would be a pipedream to be able to install it from under the truck.

Thanks,
Art.

[Dezman125]

Art
I just got my girdle in the mail on Fri.If you can get your pan off you'll be able to install it. Lots of room on my truck,K3500 old style body.

[TurboDiverArt]

Originally posted by Yukon 6.2:
Art
I just got my girdle in the mail on Fri.If you can get your pan off you'll be able to install it. Lots of room on my truck,K3500 old style body. I can barely get to my oil filter so I don't hold much hope for being able to get the pan off. I just want to know why I keep buying vehicles that are such a PITA to work on.... :D

[Craig M]

Yukon 6.2

Please inform us all how long it takes you to install the girdles, and who from and how much the kit cost.

[Dezman125]

Craig
I got them from Diesel Service Group, They are a Dieselpage advertiser.They have a discount for members.
Looking at the kit i would say that it would take about an hour longer than takeing the pan off and reinstalling it. Right now my engin consists of a block,crank,7 pistons+rods.If i had known i would be in this deep i would of pulled the motor. Long story smile.gif
I would change the rear seal while you had the pan off.
If you have room to get the pan off easy,istall should be a snap :cool:

[GARY PAGE]

I think the main improvement is the ARP studs for the caps, there worth the money. The ARP greese is critical to getting the torque correct.

[Craig M]

My engine is currently sitting in the garage hanging from a chain fall. Access to the oil pan in unblocked by any suspension members. Engine has been sitting for a few years, no mileage on it. Was not planning on replacing the seal but could if necessary.

[Bobbie Martin]

Does anyone else have any concerns about this thing? Looking at the pictures, is appears to be entirely powder coated. I would think the last thing you want is a powder coated piece of steel as a main cap washer. There's a reason ARP uses hardened washers. Its so they don't compress under load. The same can't be said for powder coated steel! I would never use anything that soft in a critically torqued assembly. Plus if the girdle is strong enough to keep the block from cracking, could it also maybe tweak the main cap alignment? So maybe one should align bore the block after fitting the girdle? Finally, is it wise to use two types of fasteners - with different expansion rates, clamping loads, etc. - in one main cap? Just my two cents...

[tom.mcinerney]

Good comments, Bobbie. Many aftermarket devices employ faddish finishing techniques to generate sales. Here, how much rust will there be in the oil pan area?! Probably good idea get rid coating beneath fastenings.
And then, does it work, does create other/more problems than solves?
I'm tempted to try 'em ; i'd like to ask Dr Lee and others their opinions....

[odee]

It's possible that the girdle is made like the windage tray on some of my drag engines. The studs are torqued to the proper spec,then the girdle goes on then another set of nuts to hold it in place. In all the motors I have built with studs in the bottom end or head area they have not had a mixture or studs and bolts.

[Turbine Doc]

Odee if only as a windage fit then I think the strength addition is just in the new studs, now if the bridging between the 3 caps is intergral to strengthening the design I think the whole assembly has to be torqued up to be of benefit.

Alarm bells went off in my head also with the paint and what appears to be carbon steel, now if this were made of a quality unpainted stainless looks like it might have some merit, But I think probably the real benefit is in the better studs.

My initial impression/opinion anyway based on what I see in the post nothing other than that for my opinion.

[tom.mcinerney]

So,ah,Bobbie(and any other interested observers). How would you feel about this contraption if:
1- The coating was removed from fastener area.
2- Both main cap fasteners become ARP studs. This might be tricky, because the bolt-shank diameters may 'center' the caps, i suppose.
3- It's determined that the thing is just machined from cold- or hot-rolled angle, OR has been engineered with respect to hardness and thermal expansion.

[JeepSJ]

Tom, those are all great suggestions. An issue that may come up with item 2 is that if you replace the inner bolts with studs, the block should be line honed. The extra clamping force of a stud in the inner location will distort the cap slightly and can cause bearing problem if the block is not honed.

These look a little light for the application. Trick Flow makes an awesome girdle for small block Fords. It is a single machined unit. That is the type of design that I would really like to see for our engines.

http://www.trickflow.com/media/pr/400/TFS_51500700.jpg

[CleviteKid]

Rick can correct us, but my examination of the photos in his article leads me to conclude that the girdle goes right against the cap, and the 12-point nuts hold everything together.

If that is the case, then I agree that any coating should be removed from both sides of the girdle around the stud holes.

There is no issue of different types of fasteners - all steel had about the same elastic modulus and the same thermal expansion coefficient, and having a longer stressed length is actually beneficial for maintaining preload under variable conditions.

Dr. Lee :cool:

[Dezman125]

Installed my girdles tonight,took about 35 min,after i spent about 5 min per girdle removing the coating on a wire wheel.
Everthing fit nice,no clearance problems,just like DSG's gears.