ARP head stud kit to cure problem

[brainhead]

Bad head gasket on my 96 Seville. Bolts pulling thread out of the block problem. But $550 for a set of studs from Northstar Performance?! A set of ARP head studs for a 4.6 Ford is $250 and $150 for a Chevy smallblock on Summit http://www.summitracing.com/search/?keyword=arp%20head%20stud&dds=1 So, I think the price is unacceptable.

Has anyone ever matched up a size stud kit that fits from ARP and just put them in? I may very well be doing that. Find an appropriate length, diameter, and pitch; drill and tap the block, and put them in.

Thoughts or experience?

[BodybyFisher]

This is from Northstar Performance on the studs. Be advised that Caddyinfo receives a discount from Northstar Performance, if it is still in effect.

So you know that if you plan on doing the head gasket repair yourself, you'll have to fix the stripped head bolt holes in the block. Forget about helicoils or threaded inserts. There are all kinds of kits on the market. But nothing even remotely comes close to the SureGrip Stud Kit designed and developed by Northstar Performance.

These one piece CNC machined and heat treated studs completely eliminate the need for any type of threaded insert- the repair is the stud itself. There is a full 2 inches of thread gripping in the block- the most of any Northstar repair kit- and best of all it's a one piece repair.

The problem with threaded inserts is this: threads by nature are angled in a way that when you go to torque the head bolts down, it expands the insert in diameter. Sometimes when the insert expands in the block, the block cracks, or the insert expands enough to let the fine-thread M11 bolt slip over inside the insert. This is completely eliminated with the SureGrip Studs. Also when you go with these studs, the torquing is now done from on top with a nut (steel on steel) rather than twisting a bolt under load into the aluminum.

You drill the holes in the block, tap them, and then install these studs. Then install the gasket, head, and secure with the special washers and nuts included in the kit. It's that simple. Stronger than stock and more durable.

Our kit may not be the cheapest fix on the market- but it's the best. Nobody wants to do this job twice on the same car. We are the only company to offer a repair for the Northstar that stands behind it so well, that if your head gaskets fail within one year, send us the studs back as well as the rest of the kit and we will refund your money. Nobody else trusts their repair method enough to do this. Give your car all the wide-open-throttle you want after installing our studs and new gaskets- you won't blow the gaskets again!

These studs have been tested and proven on over 200 engines to date with 0 failures. General Motors and Cadillac technicians who have used our studs swear they would never use anything else again

[BodybyFisher]

AND BY THE WAY, the Northstar Performace price includes DRILL, TAP, FIXTURE PLATE, FIXTURE PLATE BOLTS, DRILLING OIL, and the STUDS!

Summit Racing includes the STUDS only

[brainhead]

Yea, I'd already read that. And like they said, I definitely don't want to have to do the job twice. And I might spend more time figuring out and finding the properly sized ARP stud kit than the $300 savings would be worth.

However, it doesn't sit well with me at all to pay that much for a set of studs. Makes me want to do it my way even if it isn't cost effective.

[BodybyFisher]

Yea, I'd already read that. And like they said, I definitely don't want to have to do the job twice. And I might spend more time figuring out and finding the properly sized ARP stud kit than the $300 savings would be worth.

However, it doesn't sit well with me at all to pay that much for a set of studs. Makes me want to do it my way even if it isn't cost effective.

Read my post #3, the Northstar Performace price includes MORE than studs. The drilling jig is very important, you do not want to hand drill these holes, for a few reasons.

The drill has a depth stop on it also, do you know how deep to drill, can you drill square in every plane? Id go for the Northstar studs or the timeserts with the drill, tap and jig over reinventing the wheel myself

[brainhead]

I was writing already before I saw your post. Yea, maybe so. I've had more than enough pain already in the last couple years with fixing a 396 supercharged Camaro again, and again, and again. I don't need any more pain from drilling into a water passage in the block or something.

Maybe I'll try myself, or maybe not. Their price isn't so bad maybe since that plate is going to be custom made. Their price for doing the job for you if you can get them your engine is excellent.

[Ranger]

Keep in mind that the Northstar Performance stud kit eliminates the need for inserts. If you use ARP studs, I believe you will still have to insert the block. If you don't and just put the studs into the aluminum block, chances are the threads may pull again.

[brainhead]

Yep. I wrote to ARP about the most similar set I could think of (for a Ford 4.6) and they are also M11; so I would have to use inserts for those. And who knows if the length is right, or if I could find a wider stud to prevent needing inserts. There's a good chance ARP just doesn't make any that would work. Northstarperformance might have actually had to make the studs themselves; so the price is looking a lot better.

Thanks man.

[BodybyFisher]

I have spoken to Jake from Northstar performance, he has the studs made to his specs on a CNC machine and its an expensive process