johninar

I finally got down to the root cause of my cooling issues. I used the NAPA test kit and found exhaust gasses in the radiator. Not a big surprise really.
I'm leaking exhaust into the coolant. So I'm having the head gaskets replaced .

Although I'm not having any special improvements made, I did ask for ARP head studs. With a stock engine is there any reason to use aftermarket head gaskets? Is the ARE studs the right way to go? I'm on a tight budget so I really can't afford to do headers or such right now. Anything else that is a "must"?

TIA,

John

P.S. we'll be passing the collection plate out at noon.

trackboss

Studs are great, but overkill. The arp bolts (what I use) work very well and make life a whole lot easier if you ever have to r/r the heads. Studs can be a pain in the *** because they make cleaning the deck difficult unless they are removed and they require the heads to be lifted up several inches before they come off.

RX-Ben

What other engine mods. Unless something has changed, when I was building a mod'd LS1 a while ago, the consensus was to avoid the ARP studs, b/c of sealing issues. I went with ARP bolts instead, but more as a convenience issue as I believe the stockers (which are generally sufficient) are TTY.

johninar

Stock ls6.

What type of sealing issues? My mechanic who owns and builds HP Vette motors suggested either the bolts or studs. He mentioned that he liked the studs because when you torque them down you are not turning the stud in the Aluminum block, just the nut.(in so many words) Also you can get more torque out of studs.
Thanks for the replies.

RX-Ben

Sealing as in coolant leaks. ARP has revised their torque value recently (up to 80lb/ft) to address this.
You are not trying to get as much torque on the fastener as possible, just enough for a slight stretch (so it doesn't come loose). This can be done with either the stock bolts or any of the aftermarket fasteners
Unless you think you'll be tearing the engine apart on a regular basis, get a new set of stock headbolts and properly install them. Stock gaskets are fine too.

67Ranger

If you are on a budget, the ARP bolts are really the way to go IMO. They are better (I think) than the stock bolts, can be reused, and arent much more money. Just make sure to get all the holes blown out good, have the heads check for straightness and milled if necessary, and if possible have the deck of the block checked. Also, the stock MLS gaskets are fine.