just got these heads and the coolant crossover pipe bolt is tapped into the water jacket. I’m not sure what to do. I’d like to not mess with sending back and forth and be able to run with a sealant. But what do you all think should be done. Pics attached


Can see daylight through hole


Picture from deck side.


Picture from deck side

Use a thread sealant on the bolts and you’ll be fine.
What heads are these?

Yeah, I would just use sealant on the bolts.

I have the coolant crossover pipes and plugs for ls6 intake. Btw this is on a 2000 trans am. And I don’t want to put vendor out there unless beneficial to my solution. As I know things happen and they have been great to me for everything else. I’m worried about the actual bolts leaking coolant around them as the hole is bigger than the picture show as the metal is able to be picked right off. Its just barely hanging in there. Almost a full tap into the jacket. Wasn’t sure if sealant would work or thread dope or what to do. Debating on having machineshop tig it up for me. It’s a pricey piece to be doing this. Just wondering if you all thought sealant would hold in a cylinder head water jacket

You’ll be fine. Use the sealant.

Okay thanks. I’ve never had the heads off these ls motors and I for sure thought it looked like a hole tapped to far! Now I feel like a dumby. Thanks everyone for the help and effort for piece of mind. Also guess I can share it’s gonna be tick SNS 3 cam with prc heads but with btr springs & titanium retainers and hollow stem intake. 42 # injectors and ls6 intake

6504 morels. And I looked at both heads and only the one has the bolt hole drilled through so I don’t think it was supposed to be like that but I think with some thread compound it won’t matter. I have a lifter tick and found some roller bearings from lifter wheel on drain plug which is a good excuse for all of these goodies lol. Hoping lifter coming apart is the cause of the ticking and not the aftermath of a lifter eating itself up and ruining something else. Fingers crossed that lifter bores are good and all is well. Probably going to order a cam retainer today but may hold off until I get a look at the current one. But seems everyone says to run these heads as is. Just debating on what kind of sealant to use.
also on a side note. Anyway to repair a cracked ls6 intake? It’s cracked on top of one of the runners. I have another one and would just about give it away if someone wanted it if it was repairable

Talked to Texas speed and they said it would be alright to run it. Looking at my 853 heads the bolt is tapped clear threw so I don’t see an issue arising.

Had to fish this lifter out of cam hole. Wouldnt come up through the bore. Bores all looked good and inspecting the old cam the lobes look fine. Went with a bigger cam this time which is why I just went with the aftermarkets for better ptv clearance. Also what is a good preload on 6504 morels. Been told a couple things. I think they recommend .030 to .050 but Jw what people run it at. Lucky for me the old cam only has about 20,000 on it. Block is still clean. Putting new cam in today. Lifters are in oil in the sun. That condenser is a pita to get out of the way for me for some reason

I’ve come up with 13 turns and some 12 5/8 & 12 3/4 turns. This comes up to about a 7.500 pushrods. Is this okay on the morels? Been told by tick that they set the morels to all around .060 preload. So I’m in or around that range since the 7.475s would put me light on the preload on a few of the short ones.