headstuds are cheap insurance. might as well.

 

Did you take all of them out or do the 1x1 method?? That sux man!

 

Check your fluids more, especially after a lot of hard driving. i don't see how a motor would need a rebuild from a headgasket unless you drive awhile with the gasket leaking. If you catch your fluids mixing or disappearing, or blowing blue or white smoke then buy headstuds and gasket. The car will only over heat if the oil and antifreeze mix up a lot or you are low on either.

 

well i did my cams and i spent only 100 bucks on head studs and i think its worth everyone's time and might as well do it then than later and spend more money later catch my drift buddy...

 

I pushed 30psi from a pt6776 for over 7,000 miles on the stock head studs. Also on a side note I had stock valve springs and retainers w/ Cosworth 272's and revved to 8,500 the entire time too.

 

Stock headstuds are approaching their limit if not at, at 30psi.

Personally, if my stock headstuds are "safe" to 30 psi I would not run them. I want studs that are rated withstand Over what I'm running. It's like a factor of safety.

Get a free weekend. Drain fluids. Take off the head. Install headstuds. Reverse. This is capable for anyone to do if you have a place to do it....the most technical part of this is to torque the studs correctly. Everything else is just annoying.

 

so when you guys take the head off do you bring it to a shop just to make sure its still fine or do you just reinstall it?

 

If you have something to check the head is not warped then you could just reinstall.

Something that has a machined straight edge

Most of the tool trucks carry them for a pretty penny

 

I thought there was a set of headstuds (AMS sells) or maybe all of them can be installed without removing the head.

but personally have not done it that way myself



http://www.amsperformance.com/cart/A...mance.com.html

 

I know far more people that have smoked the HG (((AFTER))) doing head studs. I know very few that have popped the stocker. Most problems with big turbos seem to be rod failures not HGs. I think that speaks volumes of the stock hardware.

 

It's power level not how much PSI. When doing cams get them replaced. Or any major upgrades like a turbo.

 

it's really hard to get good info in threads like this

 

true that. this should help tho.


Bolts are not good up to a certain PS. Your valve stem holds over 30 psi. What stretches studs is detonation. Headstuds should be replaced at 400 horsepower IMO, detonation at this power level is more severe than it would be if the car was stock ,therefore generating enough force to lift the head.

Tons of people do the one by one method, as long as the engine is fully cooled and the sequence is done correctly there should be no issue. If there is an issue your not looking at more work then if you would have done it the hard way out of the gate.

In your particular case I would say 30psi with the red should put you well over the power level I would want to use stock studs for. You don't even need to remove the cams to change them out, so I would just go ahead and do them.

 

Excellent point.

 

Stock head studs here ~29psi