Should I buy new head bolts, or just reuse the old ones in the new engine? What about the set of used roller lifters I got with the spyder and dog-bones?
Probably a Dumb Question
- Thread starter jikelly
- Start date
A67StangMaster
New Member
I would changed then after the engine hits about 60k miles and if its been sitting for more then 3 years other then that there good in my book. I would recomend changing them after you change the heads or do a rebuild.
it's ok to use the original head bolts but if you can afford new ones it's not a bad idea, that said i've never bought a new set of head bolts for any of my engines.
as long as the roller lifters turn smoothly and there isn't any noticeable wear you're good to go, theat's the good thing about roller lifters they are reusable when changing cams.
as long as the roller lifters turn smoothly and there isn't any noticeable wear you're good to go, theat's the good thing about roller lifters they are reusable when changing cams.
Unless you know they are good head bolts AND can put them back into the same holes they came out of, change them. ARP has done some interesting research and they say that their bolts are reusable as long as you put them back into the same hole they came out of. Apparently the threads "break into" each other sort of like a pair of shoes.
Altho, since you are talking about heads, I would switch to studs for reliablity. If nothing else, it will help your head gasket last longer.
Altho, since you are talking about heads, I would switch to studs for reliablity. If nothing else, it will help your head gasket last longer.
brianj5600
Active Member
My heads will come of in the car with studs, 351w in 67. I have always re-used head bolts, but I have also had them stretch. You can feel them start to get tight, then turn a 1/2 turn or so and not get any tighter. I just removed that one and relaced it with another used bolt. You could see it was longer once removed.
i agree. however i would replace headbolts after the second rebuild as they tend to stretch and reduce the clamping force on the gaskets.
as for the roller lifters, they will be fine as long as there is no noticeable wear or excessive play in the roller axles.
If you are going the ARP route, they are slightly more expensive but you can buy undercut (shorter) studs to avoid this problem. They really should not be more expensive since there is less material being used but they charge more for the convienence factor.
I wasn't thinking cost, I was thinking that in many Ford applications, the head wont come off because it will hit the shock tower before clearing the studs.
I would put new head bolts on every rebuild. While I have gotten away with re-using them, I think head torque needs to mo more accurate than just about anything else, especially with aftermarket heads. It's cheap insurance. Why cut corners?
Thanks for the info guys. I'll get new head bolts for sure since this would be the second engine for them, about 150,000 miles of operation on them.
I've got two sets of roller lifters to choose from so I'll be real picky.
I've got two sets of roller lifters to choose from so I'll be real picky.
I've reused the older style small block head bolts over and over again. When I have no engine for them, they make dandy transmission guide studs. Cut the heads off the long ones, chamfer the cut ends and they're good to go. I use these with automatics and manual transmissions. As for used roller lifters, that depends on the build. If you want to rev more than 5500-6000, you need better lifters. Crane makes higher reving stock style rollers that are good to 7500 and .585 lift cams (Z303 with 1.7 rockers)
and the 351w head bolts are even larger than the 289/302 head bolts so i have no worries about resuing the stock ones, even for 3 or 4 rebuilds as long as they aren't galled or chipped.
small block chey head bolts are great for bolting a SBF ford to an engine stand. IIRC, there are 3 different length head bolts and on a small chevy and the middle length ones make the best engine stand bolts, just an FYI.
65ShelbyClone
Founding Member
Eh, undercut studs have a narrower body for more elasticity, not a shorter overall length.
The older(pre-'80s) 302 head bolts are just grade 8 7/16" bolts. I wouldn't worry about reusing them a couple times.
With that said, I have ARP bolts in mine. The reason is because I got some "grade 8" headbolts from Performance Automotive Warehouse and they were total junk. New out of the package, they not only stretched at 65 lb-ft, but one of them actually snapped before reaching the right torque. That didn't just cost me a set of new bolts, but headgaskets too.
If you do reuse them, make sure to chase the threads in the block and on the bolts. Also, don't re-use if they are torque-to-yield bolts like most of the later 5.0L engines (and some aftermarket) had. As far as used roller rockers and lifters, they are generally ok to reuse as long as they are free in movement and have no flat spots or rough spots on them. As always, new ones are less of a gamble, but where's the excitement in that? 
Daniel
Daniel
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