Replacing a single head bolt, one at a time

[davepl]

In my engine build I opted to use studs instead of head bolts. Seemed like a good idea at the time, but they do not clear the exhaust manifolds.

I was able to grind on the underside of the manifold in a couple of cases or grind down some of the extra stud in a few others, but for 3 of the bolts I had to remove the stud and replace it with an original head bolt, then torque it down to spec.

I'm wondering if this will mess up head sealing; it's a newly rebuilt motor and the block and heads were surfaced, and we're using a composition gasket.

Part of me says removing one head bolt at a time is a bad idea (that I should have removed the heads and redone them all at once), but I can't prove it. In the shop manual they do not use an incremental torque sequence (ie: 20lbs, 40lbs, then 65lbs).... they just torque them in the right order to 65 ft lbs.

By that logic at least one of them has to be last, so removing and replacing one head bolt at a time might just be OK. But I'm not sure.

Has anyone had an experience with doing one head bolt, and how'd it turn out?

Thanks!
Dave

[70K10Hunter]

I am a Mechanic and I have done it in the past, actually most recently I did it on a powerstroke engine, I would say as long as you dont loosen all of them at once you will be OK. If the flex of one bolt at a time would potentially ruin the head/headgasket you have much bigger problems, JMO