sheared because it was under shear stress
the junction between the two THINGYS is supposed to carry the force by friction between the 2 surfaces. not the shaft of the bolt.
(unless bolt is push fit like a dowel and is shanked fatter than the thread section)
for this to work
1) no rust dust or bits. surfaces need to be clean to micro weld otherwise they chafe back and forth.
2) no thread lock between the surfaces only on the thread 2 much and it squishes out of the hole and pushes the 2 clamped-toghether things apart reducing the friction between the 2
3) head of bolt needs to see a nice flat surface
original bolts for flywheel to crank had recessed heads??
was that the case for original flex plate to converter bolts??
JUST CHECKED and they do SEE HERE
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/OEM-Mopar-Fle ... 4aed4942e0
nice wide heads, back cut to the shaft if you squint at the picture
i.e the flat of the head that clamps down, was back cut away from the main bolt shaft leaving only the outer 1/2 circumferance of the head of the bolt
thus you had a decent sized bolt you could torque to X but the friction between the head and the surface it bolted down onto was double or more what you would get with a totally flat headed bolt, due to it all being concentrated into the rim of the bolt head not spread across the whole face. Pressure=force divided by area.
The smaller the area the higher the pressure and = more friction between bolt head and what it rested on.
totally flat headed bolts at same torque will therefore need assistance
same princepal used on flywheels with a cosworth ring.
Dave