that means they have to take the whole thing apart again?

 

yep

 

is it worth $350 for disassembly/assembly just to convert to 4 bolt mains? should i just install arp main studs instead?

 

all i wanna do is be able to shoot 100 shot without having any problems or anything to worry about as far as the engine is concerned.

 

i took the engine to the shop today and told them to put some arp main studs. they said they werent gonna charge me anything since i had spent a lot of money there. hopefully that will be enough for a 100 shot. thanks everyone for the help.

 

Just so you know in the instructions for the ARP main studs, they HIGHLY reccomend having the block align honed to ensure the caps are perfectly square to the world with the studs torqued in place. Studs pull on the block differently than bolts do and its a saftey measure to ensure that everything is true to the world.

 

INJECTED SS, im concerned with what you said about the dip stick. i have a 94 4 bolt block from a vette, since those caps are original i shouldnt run into a probelm like i would with splayed caps right? from what you said the aftermarket caps are bigger?

 

i have splayed 4 bolt mains that are made by pro-gram and there are no dipstick clearance issues at all!

 

I can't find a picture of it right now but if Im not mistaken. The oil dipstick should enter the block at a point just behind the 4th main cap. Not in line with it. Therefore it can't interfere with the main caps. If it did then there is definitely something wrong and lot of other people would not have dipsticks in their engines either. Are you sure its not he dipstick tube hitting something else, like the windage tray. We had to clearance an aftermarket windage tray to clear the dipstick tube once.

 

I also have the splayed 4-bolt caps and I had a clearance issue with the dipstick. You can bend it a little at the bottom and it misses the cap. I myself would not want to rely on a sensor for oil level.

 

Ahhh that low oil sensor works like ****. Sometimes when I pull my dipstick to check the oil then put it back in and start the car the "low oil" light comes on. I turn the car off, turn it back on and it goes away. Your a very trusting person, I hope you don't burn any oil.