Head Job

[Super-Dave]

Started putting heads on today and found that 3 of the rocker studs stick out a bit to far, Are they screwed in or pressed in? Also can I fix without removing heads again?

[HomerJ]

Those appear to be pressed-in studs (no shoulder on the stud) on GM factory heads. I can't tell anything more about the heads than that, so here's what I would suggest....

I would pull the heads and take them to a machine shop. From there you have about 5 options, IMHO:

1. Have the shop replace the faulty studs (if you are on a very tight budget)

2. Have the shop replace or press in the faulty studs and "pin" them (drilling through the stud boss and stud and install a roll pin - I wouldn't suggest this, but I know people who have done it and prefer it to screw-in studs). Again, this would be a tight-budget option.

3. Have the faulty studs replaced with screw-in studs (tight-budget option)

4. Have ALL studs replaced with screw-in studs (cheaper than new heads, but you will spend quite a bit on this option, only to end up with the same old heads and no performance benefit).

5. Ditch those heads and get new or rebuilt ones that are in better shape (obviously the most costly option, but eliminates question of durability and a new set provides greater performance potential than your existing heads).


If I were faced with this, I would choose option 3 for a very tight budget scenario. If I had a few hundred bucks at my disposal, I would opt for some new Vortec heads from GMPP via Scoggins Dickey, Summit, Jegs, etc.

BTW, how did you get the heads - friend, Craigslist, E-bay, Summit, etc? If they are used heads, I would lean more and more towards new heads, since you have signs of the heads being stressed by an extreme-lift cam, which suggests racing use. If they are new, forget everything written above and return them to the vendor.

Hope this helps,
HomerJ

[Bishops Trucks]

You got my attention. Let me pick my mind up out of the gutter.

[manimal]

Originally Posted by Bishops Trucks

You got my attention. Let me pick my mind up out of the gutter.

I was thinking the same!hahaha!

[Billla]

Generally, I suggest any time you have head work (ahem) done that you replace the studs. Pressed-in studs often loosen when the head is hot-tanked.

It IS possible to put in non-shoulder screw-in studs in the car if you're careful. You're drilling and tapping...so a) getting stuff straight and b) making sure no shavings get into the engine is clearly a big deal. If you don't do all of them, the other ones will pull sooner or later.

IMHO, the only real choice is to take the heads in to get screw-in studs, or at least take them off and do it yourself on the bench. It's not hard to do if you're careful, and there are good tools for this (below)

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...6&autoview=sku

[woodridge]

Press in studs come in incremental oversizes. It would require a reamer to resize the hole but would be "relatively" inexpensive repair.

[70rs/ss]

They have to come out to fix it. If it is just a stocker, pull the heads back out and go to a machine shop, you can have new pressed in studs installed but really that $$$ is just going down the drain. New Vortecs are $5-600 for a set or even better yet buy a used set and recondition them (I have bought two complete Vortec 350 motors (long blocks with heads!!) for $150 each) The heads will cost about $150 to recondition, so you'll get a roller cammed block and great flowing heads for a steal and still be about $150 more into the hole than you'll be just fixing those pulled studs. Sorry to go on and on, but in the day and age of easy power and at a LOW price, anything older (SBC heads wise) I wouldn't spend a dime on, just me good luck though.

[Super-Dave]

They were removed from a grate engine for aluminum heads, so im thinking somethng wrong from factory. The other side is fine just the 3 on the one side.

[Super-Dave]

Well just took it off and took to shop they said I had to replace all, said it will cost $150