Hello eveybody, I own a 1954 Chevy bel-air 235" stock. I need to have my cylinder head redone. Anyone has an idea about the head bolts patterns and the tightening process ? And: where I can find the cylinder head bolts ? I found them on Chevsofthe40s, but there are two kinds of bolts: long and short....? Thanks so much. Alberto (Italy)
Chevs of the 40's is probably your best bet if they ship to Italy. If your head is off and you set it on a table and use something for a gauge you will figure out the long and short head bolt holes real quick. This is the GM heritage center archives vehicle information kit for 54 Chevy cars including info on the engine. Save it to your favorites as it is factory information on your car. 1954-Chevrolet.pdf This is the 49-53 Chevrolet factory service manual and at the bottom there is a supliment for 1954 with info that is 54 specific. https://chevy.oldcarmanualproject.com/shop/1949_53/index.htm It isn't as good as it should be though. This is the 235 Torque sequence.
You do not need to replace the head bolts. That is only needed on much newer cars that use"torque to yield" bolts. On old cars you just clean the old bolts and put them back in.
Many of us like to torque them in steps - start with 30 lbs, then 60, and finish at 90 - 100 lbs ... We're hoping your head passes Magnaflux test ...
Funny story, I sold a couple of heads to replace ones broken due to bolt #2 in that pic. Dad had a salvage where I worked part time in the 60s. Guys would remove 'all' the bolts, and drive a screwdriver or something between the head and block to free the stuck gasket. 'cept that stuck gasket was that one bolt that wasn't inline with all the others. somehow they'd get 10 and 12 and miss that one.
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