Having a !@#$ of a time trying to get Wieand finned alum. head over the head bolts on a 59ab.The heads are used but in very good cond.New stud kit from speedway,i put about 1/2 the studs in and tried to get the head to slide over them.Very tight would have to tap them on with a mallet? Can I make the holes in the head (drill them) larger to fit or ???
have you checked to make sure all the mating surfaces are true? i run into this now and then on the late models i work on every day and usually just put 2 studs in (if there are no dowell pins) and then install the others. having a proper stud installer really goes a long way with all this though.
Check to see that on the top side of the head bolt hole if you have aluminium rolled over into the hole. You might be able to just lightly countersink the holes on the topside removing any rolled aluminium that could be obstructing the studs from passing all the way thru them. Take a stud that isn't already in the block and see if you can push it into the bolt holes from the top as well to see if it is indeed the problem. If you do decide to drill the holes larger. Be careful not to go too big. Flatheads don't have any dowels to align the heads to the block, and rely on a slightly snug fit with the bolts/studs to prevent the heads from being too sloppy of a fit. With big cams or heads that are cut a lot, this could allow valve to head interference, or valve to spark plug contact if the head is not positioned to the block very accurately, and has excessive side to side movement....
Sight along your studs and see if they are parallel or cocked. Stock studs in stock block that has NOT had threads loosened by use of a standard type tap will stand straight. With aftermarket studs or a tapped out block, your mileage will vary. I would not be surprised if last thread on Speedway stud is different that Ford and so might cause angling when it bottoms... Studs go into block to a very light torque, like 10 or lower, so If studs cock just when bottomed, you might try loosening all, putting on head, then tightening down studs to a very low torque using something like a shallow acorn nut to turn them from the top. The heads could be the problem, but since they are used I would expect to see damage or filing in some holes if they were bad...
Thanks Bruce I looked across the studs they do seem to cock when they are tightened,did not know if i should loosen them as you said.Wasn`t sure how tight i should make them.Also the studs that were taken out i believe were stock ford,they are threaded only about a 1/2 inch on top.My speedway studs are threaded the whole length.The reason i replaced them is because it had stock heads and some of the studs were not long enough.Should i use the old studs were i can? What about sealer ? What kind do you guys recommend,i was going to use permatex hi temp thread sealer or the old #2 permatex. Thanks Randy
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