West Coast

I just removed my head tonight to repair the HG. Last year I had a shop do the HG and also had them install ARP studs. 8 of the studs would not come out with my 5 mm allen key. I had to lift the head and put vise grips on the middle of the screw and back them out. Needless to say the 8 studs have bad allen keys. Can I purchase ARP studs individually? And shouldn't the screws been hand tight and had anti seize on them? The screws that bolt down the rocker arms where hand loose. The rest where almost rusted tight. Maybe the blown HG had something to do with the tight screws?

Here is how my head gasket looked. My finger is between 6 and 5 where most of the water was coming out.....



And I found a easy way to pull the injectors. I used a 1966 chevy ball joint nut that fit like a charm and pop them with the slide hammer. I know the slide hammer is nothing new. But what about the chevy ball joint nut...

Muddin_dude06

Lol, I pull injectors using a 1" shank'd trailer ball's nut with various washers and a lugnut on top, whatever works! Haha

I will PM you a phone number if I still have it to a fellow named Greg Hogue, he is real tight with ARP so he can probably help you out.

On the studs you can either put a little bit of heavy oil on the threads that engage the block or a little bit of anti-sieze. While the head is off run a M12-1.75 tap down it to clean the threads and bottom tap the holes as well, then suck all the crud out with my patented "stud hole sucker-outter" (check my gallery for a pic lol). When you reinstall the studs run them until they bottom out and then back them out 1/4-1/2 a turn, and double check that after you put the nuts on.

When you put everything back together if you don't have any ARP lube you can use a tube of "Engine Assembly Lube with moly-graphite", and you can get that at any parts store for cheap.

What did you decide to do to the head while it is off? Any porting, O-rings (or firerings), 3 or 5 angle valve job, HD valve springs, HD keepers and retainers? If you don't do a port or valve job make sure you atleast have them sink the valves into the head the same amount that they took off to make it true.

Muddin_dude06

Well I don't have that number anymore, Hmmm. Someone else might have it on here, if not I'll ask him for it again...

West Coast

Mudd I am actually thinking of going back to stock with my truck. Well at least get rid of my 80 HP injectors and go back to stock. Then put my #8 plate back in... I tow a lot and use my truck only for work. I plan on getting a new CTD very soon I want my 94 to last for a long time as my work horse.... I just want my HG to last more than a year this time. I found a lot of issues with the last shop that did my HG. They broke a lot of electrical clips and did not bolt up a lot of wire looms. Anyway what cost is it to fire ring it?

What caused the head gasket to do what mine did? And thanks for any help with my ARP studs.....

Dave

Muddin_dude06

Yeah I hear you on the returning to stock thing, I am trying to sell my big injectors to buy some 215's or real close and retune my pump to just turn a solid full fueled 3200rpm so I can sell the truck in a few months. I love my truck but I do so much highway driving for long trips and don't tow much I can't really justify it anymore. Sucks cause I just put a fully loaded and tricked out head on it

I got the firerings, correct modified gasket and machine work done for $535 by Mr. Joe Hellmann in Sugarland TX.

You can buy the same gasket and ring set from Haisley for $220 (I think) and then a shop shouldn't charge anymore than $300 to do the grooves.

O-rings usually run $300 to get the grooves cut and wire pressed into the head, then add $120 for a marine HG.

Was the gasket that was in it a marine version? I think you would be fine just using a stock thickness (unless you have machined the block down before) Marine HG and torque the studs to 135lb. Especially if you are going to take the injectors out and put a less aggressive plate in it. Not a lot of piont in having a kickin' race-ready head if it isn't going to be used for that lol.

West Coast

Thanks for the info Mudd. Here is what I am working with.....


Just a good solid work truck. I am at 211,000 right now. Would love to get to 500,000 or more. So I think a stock truck will help out in that department. Plus I get 18.5 MPG now. If I go back to stock with my timing at 15.5 it will run excellent and probably get 21 MPG.

How would my truck run with the 80 HP sticks and a stock fuel plate and 15.5 timing? That might be a cheap option???

West Coast

Hey Mudd one other thing...... Even if I do tame down my truck I was thinking of going to a 4K spring kit. I think it would help out when I tow. Any thoughts on that?

Muddin_dude06

Thats a good looking truck man, I have always really dug the all dark scheme on trucks lol. I loved the way my truck towed with a #100 at FF with stock injectors.

As far as the 4K while towing at modest HP it helps but mostly if your doing it at lower HP. I always do my heavy towing in valet so it does help get you into the next gear since you can rev a bit higher. But if you are towing and try to run 4k very much you will probably be making some hot EGT's and might even warm up the water temp. I set up my AFC so that I can only build like 32-35PSI max when in valet (that is without the wastegate hooked up when towing)

I am going to try something I was suggested by a big injection/pump guru that should have the RPM's of a 3k (3200rpm) but have harder fueling to 3200. Since I don't really tow anything anymore and when I do it isn't very heavy I don't need anymore revs than that. I just want to make it a little more street friendly and try to gain some more mileage.

Muddin_dude06

When I had the head off mine at 215,000 all my cylinder walls looked awesome, lots of good cross hatching and no scuffs. I bet 500k would be easy for the engine itself, its some of the gaskets that might need replacing lol. I know as soon as I got the head all buttoned up I took off on a 6 hour trip and the next mornig after my arrival I looked under my truck to see a huge oil leak! I thought it was the HG and I was mad, turned out it is just some random gasket on the front of the engine. I haven't messed with it though since some days it drips and some it doesn't lol.

Once I retune my truck and have stock 215 injectors I want to go hit up a dyno and try to prove that 400rwhp on stock sticks is possible with just a lot of pump tweaking, timing and GSK.

MikeR

Dave,

I just pulled my head last week (blown hg too), and 5 of my ARP studs wouldn't come out, I rounded the allen holes. At first I thought I was going to have to lift the head over the stuck studs...
So instead I used two 12mm nuts from Napa, double nutted the stud and it worked like a charm getting the studs out.

I'm just going to clean those studs up and reuse them. I'll double nut them to install them if I have to.

No anti-seize...they were just suppose to be lightly oiled when they're installed. But your motor, like mine, obviously water gets passed the nuts and settled down in the holes and crusts them into place.

Muddin_dude06

^^^^^ good advice, if you can't get new ones from ARP that will work really well.

West Coast

Mike thanks for the info. I had thought about the double nuts but i did not have any that fit. I actually only need one screw in that case. The rear screw got bent when I tried to lift the head over it..... lol... So I could re use 5 with the double nut system and only get the one bent one....... Perfect....!!!!

What is the tightening order of the studs? Where do I start first? And how many different torques do you do?

97' CTD

God Would I love to have that truck to compliment my 97'.
Brandon

West Coast

97 thanks for the compliments. I just got off the phone with ARP. I can get each stud that I need for $4.95 each.

Dave

West Coast

Hey one other thing. I have done many heads on my chevy hot rods. Do any of the cummins head studs need sealant for water jackets?

Thanks..