Head bolt hole cleaning
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 933
Likes: 0
From: St. Paul MN
Head bolt hole cleaning
For those of you who have ventured into a head swap how did you clean out the head bolt holes? I'm kind of following a how-to write up that suggests grinding the side of an existing bolt so that it can be used to clean out the hole. Are there any tools that would perform the same function?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 933
Likes: 0
From: St. Paul MN
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 5,375
Likes: 328
From: CA.
St. Jude Donor '13-'14-'15
I don't think you can use a tap beacuse the threads are not flush with the top of the block but rather set deep inside---Best way is to take an old bolt--grind 2 flat surfaces on the threads on opposite sides- grind off all of threads on the opposing sides--This will allow the debris and any water a place to vent out of--Then I used a computer keyboard cleaner to blow them out with afterwards---The cleaner is just a can of compressed air with a long skinny tube that will reach way down into the hole and blow them out--An air compressor nozzle won't work as it is too wide--and you need to get down into the bottom of the hole with the tube-
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 10,962
Likes: 29
From: Van Buren Arkansas
Wounded Warrior Escort '11
I used a shop-vac with a reduction tube on it. Sounds like a nice item.. but it was duct-tape, piece of copper tube...rigged up suction tube, but worked just fine.
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Michael S. Palmer
Uneducated autodidact
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 5,413
Likes: 253
From: West of the Sabine, Texas
remember that there is a big difference between a thread "chaser" and a thread "tap". You can buy a thread chaser that is specifically made for this application....I think it is ~$50..........
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 10,554
Likes: 33
From: Not on either liberal coast.
The chaser will clean the threads of crud, while the tap will remove metal...probably not something you really want to do.SUMMIT RACING carries full sets of chasers in metric and SAE for very reasonable prices.
It's your car to do with as you please...
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,172
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From: Des Moines Iowa
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 22,025
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From: At the beach in little Rhody
ARP also doesn't recommend using a tap either.
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 3,526
Likes: 20
From: Santa Fe TX
Chasing the threads by dremeling a head bolt would make the world perfect, but could also be asking for trouble if you don't get that bolt dremeled flat, and started correctly.
I used compressed air gun with a long needle tip and stuck it into each hole, and promptly blew coolant into my face 16 times. Then used rolled up shop towel to clean the holes.
I let the block sit overnight to air dry.
I didn't have any problems torquing the headbolts
I used compressed air gun with a long needle tip and stuck it into each hole, and promptly blew coolant into my face 16 times. Then used rolled up shop towel to clean the holes.
I let the block sit overnight to air dry.
I didn't have any problems torquing the headbolts
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 1,134
Likes: 1
From: Arlington Texas
You won't find a thread chaser for the large head bolts anywhere except ARP or Kent Moore. I own and have used both the ARP and Kent Moore thread chasers. IMHO, the only way to clean head bolt holes. These are NOT taps.
They are expensive but work very well, here's the ARP part numbers:
912-0001 Clean Out Tap M8 x 1.25
912-0011 Clean Out Tap, LS1 M11 x 2.0
They are expensive but work very well, here's the ARP part numbers:
912-0001 Clean Out Tap M8 x 1.25
912-0011 Clean Out Tap, LS1 M11 x 2.0
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 933
Likes: 0
From: St. Paul MN
You won't find a thread chaser for the large head bolts anywhere except ARP or Kent Moore. I own and have used both the ARP and Kent Moore thread chasers. IMHO, the only way to clean head bolt holes. These are NOT taps.
They are expensive but work very well, here's the ARP part numbers:
912-0001 Clean Out Tap M8 x 1.25
912-0011 Clean Out Tap, LS1 M11 x 2.0
They are expensive but work very well, here's the ARP part numbers:
912-0001 Clean Out Tap M8 x 1.25
912-0011 Clean Out Tap, LS1 M11 x 2.0
I assume one of these is for the "big" holes on the bottom and the other for the "little" holes on top?
Where should I order these from?