This is my 8th engine in with this particular girdle assembly and issue.

The 3/8-16 set screws that hold the girdle to the aluminum caps are almost always cracked mid way though the cap... major pain to remove the remaining set screw from aluminum cap I might add.

Anyway, I've been replacing all the set screws with ARP bolts on engines that come in for freshen and tossing the set screws that come with the kit in the miscellaneous bolt pail on a new build and was just curious what everyone else has been using? Bolts/studs?


This was a freshen up on a 11:5.1 499 RB bracket engine running on 112 so nothing crazy, maybe 100 passes in 10 years.