Torque Plates do I need them for my build?

[The Mopar Life]

Hi I would like peoples opinion if I need to use a torque plate when boring honing my 440 RB
The combo is:

A Body
Stealth heads
Comp Cams XE 274
Stock rods and stock bolts closed and honed stored for 20 yrs
Keith black F/T pistons at 0 deck
Holley Street Dominator single plane inlet manifold
850 Double pumper Holley
2 inch primary 3 ½ inch collector open exhaust
Stall converter approx 3000 rpm, will call converter company for exact requirement and have them make it
3.89 differential gears
29 or 28 x 9 inch slick
727 Transmission

Intended use just a bit of fun down the qtr mile bracket racing maybe 20 passes per yr and very little street.

Problem is in Australia machine shops don’t have torque plates for 440 RB and the cost to buy and import is very expensive and that money would go along way to the build itself, so is it worth it for MY build?
Yep? Nope? Maybe?
Thank you in advance for your experience / info

 

[jamesc]

if they were easy to get it would be nice but for your situation i wouldn't worry about it.

 

[1968FormulaS340]

We did this thread about 5 months ago…….. It went on for several pages.

I think this it what came out of it.

Stock rebuild for standard use…… It doesn't matter.

Mild performance build…….. Fine if you don't but you should if you can.

Medium performance build…….. You should.

High performance build…….. Considered a mandatory step in the build.

 

[pishta]

if they were easy to get it would be nice but for your situation i wouldn't worry about it.

If you got an old head, you can make a torque plate out of it. Lots of work...but a 1" plate with 4 bore holes in it would probably be as good as a purpose built one.

 

[bremereric]

MTC is that you need to torque plate bore and hone....how are they going to ensure that you don't get any hot spots in your cylinders? They use the torque plate to ensure that they go right down the center of the bore at the correct angle so there are no thick and thin spots in the cylinders...chevys don't use them and that's what ruins them..8)

 

[pishta]

MTC is that you need to torque plate bore and hone....how are they going to ensure that you don't get any hot spots in your cylinders? They use the torque plate to ensure that they go right down the center of the bore at the correct angle so there are no thick and thin spots in the cylinders...chevys don't use them and that's what ruins them..8)

No, they use torque plates to simulate the head bolt torque that stresses and slightly deforms the cylinder bores. If they are stressed/deformed when honed, they are perfect when the head goes back on. Same goes when you resize the big end of a rod or line bore a motor. Everything is torqued to spec and then honed. Even when going to an ARP rod bolt, they tell you to resize the big end as the higher tensile strength bolts put a different stress on the rod end. The Sunnen boring machine already goes right down the center if the block is set up correctly.

 

[JohnRR]

No, they use torque plates to simulate the head bolt torque that stresses and slightly deforms the cylinder bores. If they are stressed/deformed when honed, they are perfect when the head goes back on. Same goes when you resize the big end of a rod or line bore a motor. Everything is torqued to spec and then honed. Even when going to an ARP rod bolt, they tell you to resize the big end as the higher tensile strength bolts put a different stress on the rod end. The Sunnen boring machine already goes right down the center if the block is set up correctly.

What he said ...

To the OP , you should ditch the stock bolts for a set of ARP waveloks and have the rods shootpeened .

But a torque plate , you only need one and everyone that has a big block mopar will be your new best friend , or you can trade it off to the machine shop so they have it .

ROUND cylinders hold a better seal and make more power .