Head Bolt, Stud Torque Tech Tip - Importance of a proper washer - Interesting

IMHO, the 'unintended consequences' of the smooth washers referred to the article are not 100% unintended by ARP. They make the washers smooth and flat on the bolt head/nut side so that they present a lower and more consistent friction when the bolt/nut turns, and so you get a better read on the what the friction is at the threads.

But the info on the surfaces being too smooth on both side is pretty good info. My hat is off the the guys who noticed the final torque increase not behaving as it should, and catching this. And it's a clever solution to sand the bottom of the washers and not lube them; good stuff.

Rod bolts? Depends on how hard you will use them and the specific conditions. American V8 stuff, with longer strokes and heavier pistons/rods, sees a lot more rod bolt stress/strain than some other engines, and just seem to need more attention there. FWIW: In contrast, I always reused them on my 1.9L Opel engines (pretty much the same sizing as for SBM rod bolts) and revved the crap out of them to 8K repeatedly in racing; nary a problem. But, the pistons/rods are a ton lighter that your standard V8 stuff and the stroke is only 2.75" so the acceleration forces on the rod bolts are lower for multiple reasons.