so i just pulled the motor apart and got a new intermediate plate and tried to put it on and it wouldnt fit so i looked around and i guess the guy i bought the motor from "dowelled" it. so my question is, do i need the 4 extra dowels on the hot side of the motor when im only pushin 230whp?

 

No. However now that it has been pinned I'm not sure how comfortable I would be running w/o the extra tension bolts.