[spuggy]

Agree with Mark/Steve - and the ARP catalog I read before my set was fitted very strongly recommended stretch as opposed to torque (or angular rotation, another method).

One member (I forget who) posted long ago that he noted that ARP bolts only reached some fraction (I think 80-85% ?) of specified stretch in his tests when torqued to the rated values.

Only downside is that you can't apparently get the ARP stretch gauge (a micrometer anyway) into the crankcase, so can only use it to assemble the rods to the crank before mating the case halves.

I saw a suggestion to workaround that once - to use a digital caliper to get a reading on the rod bolt, re-calibrate to zero, fiddle with it to get it out (thus losing the setting) and close them up to read the length (as a negative from the set point).

Only downside of that approach would seem to be less accuracy from a caliper than a mike (heck, the spec I'm reading is 1/100 of a millimeter acceptable range on the stretch), and any issues with getting consistent measurements from the end of the fastener without appropriate ends.