New Head hardware kit

Hi,

There was some talk about head hardware kits on a recent, thread and rather than hijacking that, I wanted to let you know what will be available in a matter of weeks.

I have been wanting to create a stainless kit that was made with hardware previously unavailable. Many are concerned about the shear strength of stainless and rightfully so. There are a few vendors that offer good quality, rated hardware but also some that offer fasteners you want you will want to avoid. Do your homework when shopping around.

ARP is a company many are familiar with. They are the undisputed leader in fastener technology for performance engines. Whether its NASCAR, NHRA, F1, Offshore Racing...these are the 'go to' guys and what is being used in race engines.

ARP does however not make any British threaded product. That's until I invested in some tooling with them and this is what I am making available. These kits may be considered overkill by some but others will agree that our Commando engines deserve nothing less. That's obviously the CNW opinion, but what it comes down to is that you will have choices of what level hardware you want to use.....and choices are always good.

Here is what the kit will consist of:

- 5 ea ARP/CNW 12 point head bolts. 3/8 - 26 thread. ARP 300 series, heat treated stainless that is rated at 180KSI (180,000 psi)
- 3 ea ARP head studs . 3/8 - 16 x 3/8 - 24. ARP 8740 Chrome Moly rated at 190KSI. Black Oxide finish
- 2 ea CNW front barrel studs. 5/16 - 26 x 3/8 - 24. 4140 steel, heat treated to 40Rc
- 2 ea CNW 12 point sleeve nuts. 3/8 - 24 thread. 17-4PH Stainless, heat treated to 42Rc
- 1 ea ARP 12 point nut. 3/8 - 24. ARP 300 series stainless
- 2 ea ARP 12 point nuts. 5/16 - 24. ARP 300 series stainless
- 5 ea ARP washers. 3/8. Stainless
- 2 ea ARP washers. 5/16. Stainless

There is one modification needed in order to use that above kit and that is to install heli coils to change the thread for the head studs. Those studs are prone to pull out with the stock thread size and we require that a 3/8 - 16 heli coil gets installed in order to use the ARP head stud. This service is available from CNW of course if you don't have a local shop that can do this modification.

The kit above will sell for 199.95.

Will be available on the website shortly. Contact me at the shop directly if you have any questions at all. nortonworks@fone.net





Matt / Colorado Norton Works

http://www.coloradonortonworks.com

Very nice, Matt. Lots of misinformation out there about stainless fasteners. It's particularly annoying to keep seeing posts that all stainless fasteners are risky, when high strength stainless fasteners have been available for years, and routinely used in aerospace and racing applications. There certainly can't be any question about the quality of the ARP fasteners. What's the next step, special ARP crankshaft fastener kits?

Aside from the kits, will you also be offering the individual bits separately?

Ken

I might add, if you already have helicoil inserts, either British thread which pull easily or damaged American thread inserts then Tyme zerts or custom al-bronze inserts are available to take it to the required 3/8- 16 thread for Matt's bolts. Jim

The concern in the past on SS was failure in shear mode not tensile or compressive strength, axles and cradle bolts in particular, though larger dia. would give reserves there.

lcrken said:

Very nice, Matt. Lots of misinformation out there about stainless fasteners. It's particularly annoying to keep seeing posts that all stainless fasteners are risky, when high strength stainless fasteners have been available for years, and routinely used in aerospace and racing applications. There certainly can't be any question about the quality of the ARP fasteners. What's the next step, special ARP crankshaft fastener kits?

Aside from the kits, will you also be offering the individual bits separately?

Ken

Click to expand...

Ken,

I will most likely offer these parts individually as well.

At the same time as this kit is made available, I will offer a new, ARP engine mounting kit. Same ARP 300 grade stainless, 12 point heads. Cut to exact lenghts for the Commando cradle and front Iso mount.

Then the crankcase kit to put your cases together

Possibly a crank kit down the road.

As you mentioned in another thread.......to many ideas....never enough time ( I know that Comstock can second that as well )

Thanks

Matt / Colorado Norton Works

http://www.coloradonortonworks.com

All the bolts and nuts for the engine mounts might be good too!

CNW said:

ARP is a company many are familiar with. They are the undisputed leader in fastener technology for performance engines. Whether its NASCAR, NHRA, F1, Offshore Racing...these are the 'go to' guys and what is being used in race engines.

ARP does however not make any British threaded product. That's until I invested in some tooling with them and this is what I am making available.

Click to expand...

Matt, that is brilliant news. ARP are definetly a very good company and although they do supply the F1 market I was pleasantly surprised to see that they do not demand silly F1 prices as some other companies do. My colleagues in NASCAR also rate them very high, I just spoke about them with one of the TRD guys a few days ago.

Thumps up!

BTW, as I was one of those who voiced some criticism on your products please let me set this straight: I really appreciate the level of workmanship and attention to detail. It is just the overall appearance of the bikes where you aim for something different than I do, that's all, just a matter of taste (and I guess that when a customer asks for a more original restoration you'd be able to do this, wouldn't you?).

And there is no such thing as overkill in fasteners. :mrgreen:


Tim

lcrken said:

It's particularly annoying to keep seeing posts that all stainless fasteners are risky, ...

Click to expand...

If somebody tries to sell a fastener mainly on "being stainless" and this is outside the highly regulated and controlled environments of aircrafts and racing it is very wise to consider "stainless" as a synonym for "useless". :wink:

ARP fasteners come from deep inside said controlled environments and I guess when somebody would ask them for cheap sh*t under their label they'd show him the door.


Tim

I'm re-using Rocky Point quality head fasteners in Trixie that held up fine in Peel tach peg bounce off event as testament to the tensile strength, but Ms Peel head would run 425'F+ when WOT so they turned a chocolate brown so are not really Stainless so much as just rust-less to me, which nullifies my desire for SS in a really hot head Combat. Got to burn a lot of fuel rather fast to get those head temps with wind over 125 mph. When over the ton but not WOT head temp was 375' F and at legalish speed 325'F. Have you testing the color change threshold for these CNW kit?

Tintin said:

CNW said:

ARP is a company many are familiar with. They are the undisputed leader in fastener technology for performance engines. Whether its NASCAR, NHRA, F1, Offshore Racing...these are the 'go to' guys and what is being used in race engines.

ARP does however not make any British threaded product. That's until I invested in some tooling with them and this is what I am making available.

Click to expand...

Matt, that is brilliant news. ARP are definetly a very good company and although they do supply the F1 market I was pleasantly surprised to see that they do not demand silly F1 prices as some other companies do. My colleagues in NASCAR also rate them very high, I just spoke about them with one of the TRD guys a few days ago.

Thumps up!

BTW, as I was one of those who voiced some criticism on your products please let me set this straight: I really appreciate the level of workmanship and attention to detail. It is just the overall appearance of the bikes where you aim for something different than I do, that's all, just a matter of taste (and I guess that when a customer asks for a more original restoration you'd be able to do this, wouldn't you?).

And there is no such thing as overkill in fasteners. :mrgreen:


Tim

Click to expand...

Tim,

Thanks for the feedback. Being in the performance industry I know you can appreciate how important the core parts are to making it all stay together.

No worries about not agreeing with the approach I take with these Commandos. The great thing is that there are some many different ways you can look at these machines and there is something for everyone. From bone stock Originals to Choppers and anywhere in between...there really isn't a right or wrong way to build them. You just can not argue taste.

I think that considering the support from the network of vendors and suppliers that offer different parts and services for these bikes, there has really never been a better time to own one than right now. Every month of the year there are more mods and parts added to what is available for these machines. From small individual shops all the way to serious parts suppliers like Andover.

We even have to look at the lower quality parts that surface occasionally as positive since it raises the bar when the end users demand better alternatives.

Matt / Colorado Norton Works

www.coloradonortonworks.com

hobot said:

Have you testing the color change threshold for these CNW kit?

Click to expand...

Steve,

I have not personally tested the ARP bolts and nuts.

I am trusting that what ARP supplies is in fact as good as it gets and also consider that their testing procedures are far superior and more sophisticated than what could ever re create here in my shop.

Matt / Colorado Norton Works

www.coloradonortonworks.com

Snorton74 said:

Click to expand...

This is another kit I am working on putting together and making available for purchase. I have used it for about a year on all my engine builds (Snorton74's engine pictured)

It uses a shorter barrel stud and a 12 point ARP nut.

What is nice about it is that you can install the nuts after you have dropped the barrel on the cases. The tall stock type nut requires that you start threading them on the stud before the barrel is even close to seated on the cases. If you dont, you will not be able to get the nuts on there without lifting the barrel up again.

So the shorter stud allows you to do it all after the barrel is seated.

They are also much easier to tighten since a smaller, closed end, wrench can be used on the 12 point as opposed to an open wrench required on the stock type nuts.

Matt /Colorado Norton Works

www.coloradonortonworks.com

Helicoils?

Aren't you going to recommend Timeserts? I think Jim would. Wouldn't you Jim?

swooshdave said:

Wouldn't you Jim?

Click to expand...

He would. In fact he did. :wink:


Tim

swooshdave said:

Helicoils?

Aren't you going to recommend Timeserts? I think Jim would. Wouldn't you Jim?

Click to expand...

Actually a coarse American thread helicoil holds very well for the three lower studs unless the head has been softened by welding. Then it's time for a timesert or a larger custom insert.

Now the British thread helicoils are a different story. They will fail. Jim

swooshdave said:

Helicoils?

Aren't you going to recommend Timeserts? I think Jim would. Wouldn't you Jim?

Click to expand...

Swoosh,

I have been very happy with the Heli coil set up we have been using for 8 + years now on those lower head studs to eliminate the existing British thread. Its strong, minimal material removal and as Jim mentions, the Coarse thread (3/8 - 16) has a great bite.

If they for any reason would fail, then the Timeserts will be the next step before having to weld it up and start over.

Matt / Colorado Norton Works

Never weld it up, the weld is too soft. Just make a bigger bronze insert. I have made them 3/4 inch OD in some cases. Jim

Hi, about those timesert , which lenght do you advise for the cylinder (alloy Maney jug) 0.520 or 0.750, and I presume stainless is better than carbon steel for alloy , and as I will buy a kit with ten sert , I will do an iron jug ( Atlas in 5/16) and pass it over in 3/8-24 , so I could put some ARP S/S 300 bolts, what do you think??

If I were doing an alloy Manly barrel I would use custom aluminum bronze inserts. Jim