It sounds like to me that you are using flywheel bolts on your flexplate . I have never seen or heard of using a spacer ring on a ford flexplate oem or aftermarket and if you go spacing your bolts out too far you`r torque converter won`t set flush with the flexplate.
i agree about the bolts as i mentioned earlier. there is a flex ring , but it isnt a sp[acer to take slack out of bolts. ive torn down many motors tho where the ring was left off, most likely by the owner. but there is supposed to be one on flex plate.
i agree that the problem is hes using flywheel bolts (flywheels are used with a clutch) on a flexplate (used with an automatic trans). a flywheel is thicker than a flexplate, thus requireing longer bolts.
That's why I told him to match the bolts up with the ones that came off. I've left the spreader ring off before, but I put it on as soon as I got one.
From here I see a ring (6A366) for flexplates (65-72): http://1bad6t.com/Maverick/diagrams/untitled034.gif Then here I see no ring for flexplates (73-79): http://1bad6t.com/Maverick/diagrams/untitled225.gif Yet, they both use the same flexplate part number (6375) and bolts. Odd.
I just put my tranny together and it has the spacer on it. It fits perfectly in the indetion of the flex-plate, and it has five holes in it. I also used thred-lock
well it seems to me that the general consescious is that i need a "spreader ring" with my flexplate. i should not use washers but it is possible to install the flexplate with out it but it is not recomended. so here is my next question, why in the world did the 1975 250 6 in my car, not have a spreader ring on it in the first place? for the whole world it looks like the engine and transmission have never been out of the car. there wasn't even scratches on the brass expansion nuts on the transmission cooler lines (before i mangled them) is it possible ford just .... forgot to put on a spreader ring?:confused:
You've got all the right assumptions from this. I too have found many Fords that didn't have the ring. I've also got in my collection of flywheel/flexplate bolts, at least three different length bolts. All three will work with a 50 oz crank (with a flexplate) as the bolt holes extend all the way thru the rear main flange. If you cannot find a ring, use grade 8 or 9 washers under the bolts, it'll be fine. There's two reasons to use the ring, one to spread the load, the other to keep the bolt heads from gouging the flexplate and causing stress cracks. Washers will prevent the latter, which is the most important function. Do your ARP bolts have a stepped shank portion between the head and threads ? If so, then there's your problem. As for thread sealer, all you need use is common everyday ordinary teflon pipe thread dope. No loctite is necessary with this stuff. I use the same stuff on the lower roller block head bolts too and the water pump bolts that extend into the coolant jackets.
[] your ARP bolts have a stepped shank portion between the head and threads . there's your problem. As for thread sealer, all you need to use is common everyday ordinary thread dope. .[/quote] ......
flexplate Requires the spacer ring and also the correct length bolts. As noted before flywheels are thicker than a flexplate so bolts are longer. find your ring and reuse the old bolts if you have too. just clean up the threads, a little red loctite and torque to proper spec. hand turn engine to make sure nothing is hitting or binding. Do not use even grade 8 washers. That ring is a reinforcement for the center of the flexplate and helps distribute the clamping forces of the bolts.
i went to a parts store and bought a spacer for the flex plate. (it made the most sense to use the product intended for this purpose. there was also some differing opinions reg. the washers so i just bought the problem solver!) it was $13 so no big deal. i will also be using the original ford flex plate bolts and using the ARP bolts to decorate my Christmas tree until another use comes up! i also bought blue lock tight and had a free candy cane so all in all, problem solved!
I have never had a flexplate with the ring, didn't know there was such a thing. And I have never used any sealant on the flexplate bolts, either. Why should you? They are outside the engine, and there are no fluids against them. I can see using loc-tite to keep them from loosening, but I have never had a problem with them as long as they were torqued when installed properly. As long as the bolts don't protrude through the crank flange enough to rub on the block, they should be ok and tighten down, unless they have a shoulder that is longer than the thickness of the flexplate, then they will never tighten.
