Hi Drak11,
I am a mechanic by trade 38yrs this year. I do all the trans work and other things too. I use alot a differnet car and truck parts. I use door pins,trans shafts, axle shafts,some solid push rods, coil springs, leaf springs. Newer ubolts are alot harder than the old ones.
Anyway there is alot of things that can be used. I have forged some head bolts into tools but most of them were older chevy ones can not say about all of them.
Gayaln