I have the tick fixture and the first block I did, I used the studs that tick sells.
I have a ls3 block to do this time and I decided to try the Cleveland studs arp 154-4204 that is generally considered to work. I found more than one reference to this kit.
it was also mentioned that they are just a ‘little bit long’ but it seems like they are a little too long.
sadly I only saved like $30 lol

I drilled the holes to factory depth.

Does anyone know if I can just drill the threads deeper into the block?
the calipers in second picture are set to the thickness of the bolt pad in the head.

it would suck to just cut the tops off since they have the hex broached in for install/removal

 

It looks like GM anticipated me being dumb and cast the head bolt columns all the way to the mains.

Guess I’m gonna just yolo these to the height I like.

 

well that didn’t take long.

 

so whats your next step now ?

 

Ok, I got it all figured out. Hopefully this is useful for others here.

punching through to the crankcase really doesn’t bother me. A little sealant and all is well.

The instructions that tick gives in their video are to measure the hole and thread depths and replicate those, adding in the 1.5” thickness of the fixture and guide bushing.
doing that puts the 27/64 bit at 4.250” drill depth
the 33/64 bit depth is 2.560”

This gives 1.690” of thread depth, but the Cleveland studs have about 1.350” of thread depth.

so I left one hole stock depth and drilled the 33/64 hole to 2.900” which lets the new stud bottom out.
here is what that looks like. The head height is 1.6” so the second washer puts the total stack up within about 0.020” of proper installed height minus head gasket.


it was still a little taller than I was happy with so I backed off the depth I broke into the crankcase 0.100” and drilled another hole to that depth and didn’t find light. This is shown below.
drill 33/64 to 3.075”
drill 27/64 to 4.425”

 

for $30???

 

And availability. Last time I used the tick studs the site said ‘usually in stock’ and it took like 4 months to get them. The Cleveland set showed up in a couple days.
would be nice to side by side them though.

 

What does tick use are they viper based?

 

You can go to ARP’s website and spec virtually any thread pitch with virtually any length, with many diameter options, in both bolts and studs. Yes, it costs more to buy individually, but you’ll get exactly what you need. If you can find what your looking for on the site in packs of 5, it is often cheaper than going through Summit. I buy a LOT of ARP stuff direct because I often need odd stuff and ARP usually has it a a great price. I do buy in bulk a lot also from them.

 

not sure if the tick ones are viper based or not. its really hard to find dimensional specs for that stuff online so without putting my hands on them i cant know much.
the arp catalog lists their viper studs as ARP2000 material and i thought tick has said that theirs are 8740 but i couldnt immediately find that reference

i clicked around on arp-bolts.com and cant find anywhere to either order individual studs (bolts nuts and washers only) or spec out a custom design. i skimmed through their online catalog too and its the same.
ill probably post a dimensional picture of the cleveland stud here so next time i have my wagon apart ill do the same with the tick studs for comparison. if anyone has that info for the viper studs it would be appreciated.

 

I used to machine the LS blocks for ARP Viper studs. I don't bother doing that any longer. ARP has New Age 625 stock size studs that are stronger than the Viper ARP 2000 studs. In any case if you are determined to do this, drill down -2.900" tip of drill from the deck with a .422" drill. For Viper studs counterbore the holes -.825" tip of drill from the deck with a .515" drill. Then tap the holes with standard and bottoming tap. I did this on my CNC so the holes were perpendicular to the crank axis and correctly space.

 

ive got the heads on and done for this one, but the bottoming tap is for sure getting ordered for the next one.
someday id like to have a cnc big enough to do blocks...

as for the ca625 studs they are $800/set. for someone paying to have the work done it makes sense but for some dumbass in his garage willing to spend a day with a drill and fixture plate, i dont think its worth it.

 

I agree on the price of the ca625 is a bit nuts. I plan to use the stock size ARP2000 studs which are about $100 over standard 8740 studs, good surface prep and ls9 type gaskets will go a really long way. I've though about using some step washers from sbf stuff to disperse load, but unsure of any real benefits at the ARP2000 torque spec.