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Head Bolts Or Studs?

stuartlaw_78

By stuartlaw_78,
in General Automotive Discussion

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stuartlaw_78 Community Regular

stuartlaw_78

Posted
Posted

Hi all....

I'm looking at buying some head bolts for my engine when it goes back together but want to boost it up and have been told that studs are a lot better for this application....

Can anyone confirm this and more importantly, is there anything I need to know about putting in studs? Is it just a matter of screwing in the studs to the block and then sliding the head over them, then tightening them to specific torque settings??

Is there more to it when screwing them to the block first? Do they have to be a specific tightness in the block before I put the head on??

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Craved Grand Master

Craved

Posted
Posted

i have spoken to my Mechanic abouts these.. and you VERY STRONGLY recommend the studs over bolts. the deal with the studs is that they allow you to put a more accurate amount of torque through them and the wont stretch as much so the clamping force on the head/block is greater.

i'll be using them in the 3L build but if you dont want to spend the $200 then you should use some Moly grease on the head bolts so that they wil tighten up to the correct torque, the grease is for engine building and breaks down, but allows for less restriction on the thread which means the torque needed to turn them is less.... hence the torque is closer to correct when you bolt them up to the 99-103 Nm

not sure on how they are applied into the block though, can find out easy enough.

Warpspeed Experienced

Warpspeed

Posted
Posted

Studs are definitely stronger, and a further advantage is that you can leave the studs sitting in the block when you take the head off. If you are going to be continually taking the engine apart regularly, as in a real race engine, the threads in the block will not wear out from the constant removal and re torquing. That is the good news.

The bad news is that the head becomes a bitch to get off. It has to be lifted STRAIGHT up off the studs, if it goes slightly crooked, the studs can jam in the cylinder head holes. Another thing is that Skyline head gaskets do not have a reputation for giving trouble, and neither do the standard factory head bolts. As both work perfectly fine as they are, why change them ?

Some guys really get a kick out of spending money on their cars. If I told you that a set of Titanium wheel nuts cost $3,000 dollars and were twice as strong as the factory wheel nuts and saved 0.5Kg in weight, would you buy a set ?

That is what it really comes down to. If a set of head studs make you feel better, then get yourself a set. Otherwise the standard head bolts will work fine, it is entirely up to you.

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