Is it a PITA to get the heads off or not that bad? I know it will save time cleaning bolt holes, which is a big bonus.

Charlie

 

F-body, yes, my Vette not as bad.

 

I did my Z06 and dont have studs (wish I did instead off the ARP bolts) but its really easy to get to all the head bolts and pulling the head off. Fbody, thats another story.

Dixit

 

I have studs and its easy but I'm not an F body but I hear its not a problem either.

 

My head gasket blew and have the 1/2 head studs and was able to remove without a problem.

 

I have ARP head studs in f-body and I've pulled and installed heads number of times with them. You just need watch a bit so you won't scratch the heads. In PITA scale it's 10x less PITA than cleaning the bolt holes for TTY bolts.

 

 

Cool, glad I went with the studs then. I am used to working PITA, but cleaning bolt holesI hate even more!

 

It's no problem on an F-body at all, easy on, easy off..

Dan

 

I installed ARP studs when I did my H/C package last winter. IMHO, well worth the extra bucks. Makes head removal/installation a breeze.


Jim

 

I shouldve installed studs as well, Im kicking myself because I want to remove the heads again but dont want to deal with the cleaning again, oh well, will have to grin and bear it one more time. This time do studs.

Dixit

 

Sorry for being off topic but i am curious to know if there Is a drain plug for the coolant on the block?

 

Yes, on the side, you will see a brass looking plug. GL.

 

On which side? Near what location? Is it a plug like the oil drain plug? If I ever swap heads again i will remeber to do this if it helps stop the coolant spilling when taking the head off. Thanks

 

Well getting to the plug is not easy, many see it as being more of a PITA to get to those two plugs then to just pull the head off and clean up.

I just do that. I have a wet/dry vaccum with micro attachments from sears. That sucks up all the coolant from the chambers and then one of the micro attachments I put a straw on the end and tape it to the attachment. Then just put it down each bolt hole to get 95% of the coolant out. Then just run the paper towels down each hole once or twice to make sure it was clean. Best way so far. The wet/ddry vac I have is the 2.5gal one from Sears.

Dixit

 

No matter what you decide to go with, bolts or studs, it is ABSOLUTELY IMPERATIVE that you THOROUGHLY blow out/clean ALL blind-tapped holes. ANY liquid trapped in the bottom of a blind hole is a death sentence. When installing the studs/bolts, you'll be trying to compress a liquid, which we all know can't happen; result...cracked block.

I am fortunate enough to have a 2-post lift in my shop, along with some very good friends from my local F-Body car club. For my heads/cam/clutch/intake project, I'm dropping the engine/tranny/K-member out the bottom of the car. This way, everything will be accessible for removal, cleaning, and re-installation. I'm nervous as a ***** in church about my 1st go at an all-aluminum engine, but, like I said, I'm going to have plenty of experienced help.

Good luck to you on your project.

 

the point is that AFTER you install the studs the first time you will never need to clean the holes again, for future head replacments.

More than Zero

 

That alone is worth the extra cost for folks who do frequent head removals.

 

it's not to bad. just be carefull on the drivers side when installing the heads.