[dirtbkr89]

Ok so we were working on final assembly today and rushed a little. I have e heads with arp bolt 3 lenghts, Got 2 head bolts swapped one was just a little shorter. Once I got to 75ft lbs it went soft ripped about 3/8 of threads out ugg.. so here is our thinking would a time-sert be the best fix or there is over a 1" of thread still down in the hole could I buy head studs kit and just stud it and not worry about the top 3/8 of treads missing?

[bendutro]

If you ripped out 3/8" of thread, you'll add more strain to the remaining threads at the same torque leading to a difference in yield at that head bolt.

Don't rush, fix it right.

[dirtbkr89]

The studs are by no means a cheaper fix just figured they tread further down in the hole than my head bolts do

[mgarblik]

If you have a 1/2-13 time sert kit, that is a professional repair and will work just as well as the original threads. A Heli-coil type repair is also fine as long as you get it installed absolutely straight. If the short block is assembled, and you are worried about chips getting in the engine, studs would probably also be fine except they look kind of wrong on a street engine and you will not be able to remove the heads at a future time without taking the engine out. 3/8" of damage is quite a bit. That would be 4-5 threads on a 1/2"-13. Sure you have that much damage?

[dirtbkr89]

Yeah it is a fully assembled short block so shavings are one thing I worry about. I don't have a insert kit or the studs so I would have to buy one or the other. It pulled about 3 threads out it may be closer to 1/4. It really seems like the bolt kit only puts about 1/2" or a little more thread in the block while the holes are threaded about 1 1/2" deep

[Old Man Taylor]

Do it right and have a shop install a time-sert. I had to do 4 of them on the 400 I put in my racecar in 2000.

http://www.timesert.com/

["QUICK-SILVER"]

IMO..Get a longer bolt.
An inch or more of thread still in the block is plenty good enough.
For me, it use to be common practice to remove 1/4" to 3/8" of thread, at the deck, on head bolt holes. The science behind it was prevention of metal lift and more even torque distribution.

[mgarblik]

Thanks for posting additional information. If you have 3 hurt threads at the top, I would recommend the following: Get a nice 3/4" countersink and coat it with wheel bearing grease to catch the chips. Put a nice countersink on the hurt hole. Then pack a 1/2-13 tap with the grease and clean out the hurt hole with the tap. Put the bolts through the holes in the head and get a real accurate amount of stand-out through the bottom of the head. If you have only 1/2" of stand-out, that is not enough for any of the fasteners. Technically, on a 1/2" bolt, 1/2" stand-out would be the minimum, but in reality, that is not enough going into low quality 40 year old cast iron. I would like to see 3/4" of stand-out with head bolts. As mentioned, I think you may need a new set of head bolts. Edelbrock went through several re-designs of their heads and bolts over the years to address some cracking issues. You may have the wrong generation bolt kit. Based on your information, with the correct bolts, no actual thread repair is likely necessary. I have almost every length ARP stud you can imagine for E heads. If you decide to go with studs, provide me with the measurements of exactly what you need and PM me. I can provide a custom stud kit for your needs at a good price with 6 or 12 point nuts and washers. Remember though, you can't take the heads off in the car with studs. Let me know if I can help you.

[AG]

I've used a Timesert to repair stripped head bolt threads in a BBC with a fully assembled SB. I had a jig made to use as a guide when drilling the hole with a 1/2" drill (not fun) to make sure the hole was perpendicular to the block. It was nerve racking but worked excellent I just taped the whole deck and had the one bolt hole exposed. I think a Helicoil would also work but I wanted something really strong.

[hurryinhoosier62]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

If you have a 1/2-13 time sert kit, that is a professional repair and will work just as well as the original threads. A Heli-coil type repair is also fine as long as you get it installed absolutely straight. If the short block is assembled, and you are worried about chips getting in the engine, studs would probably also be fine except they look kind of wrong on a street engine and you will not be able to remove the heads at a future time without taking the engine out. 3/8" of damage is quite a bit. That would be 4-5 threads on a 1/2"-13. Sure you have that much damage?

X2.

[lust4speed]

As said above, Edelbrock changed their minds on the bolt lengths, and you really need to set all the bolts in place and see that you have about an inch between the bottom of the bolt head and the head. Think the early style has 5 different length bolts - total headache. It you don't go into the head an inch, something's wrong.

Chevy blocks are crap since the bolt holes go into the water jacket and most blocks have the block threads corroded away. Look at them wrong and it's cert time. I'd be inclined to use a full depth bolt and go for it, but if it seems a little too risky, the heli-coil should work fine since the holes don't go through.

[Half-Inch Stud]

Had received a block with 1 half-stripped Head thread in the blocks middle hole location.
Not familiar with timesert.
Am familiar with Keensert
I used a pair of Heli-Coils in the Block to provide sufficient thread engagement count.

Bolt length matters.

[mgarblik]

A Time Sert is a solid bushing type of thread repair. There are several other brands of these, some have pins on the OD you drive down so they are very unlikely to turn, some are made of various hard materials including stainless steel. Time Serts are held in place with red Locktite on the OD. The thing I really like about them is they fit in a specially prepared hole you make with their tooling. This includes a little step counterbore at the top of the hole which nicely finishes the deck surface if you do it right. The tooling is pretty expensive, about double the cost of a coil repair because of the counterbore tool and special installation tool which is part of the kit. I would estimate a kit for a 1/2-13 hole would run $60-75. The bushings are cheap. Less than $ 1.00 each for normal sizes. GM includes Time Sert master kits as "Essential Tools" for all their flimsy. crappy, aluminum engines they have been making over the past 20 or so years, starting with the Cadillac Northstar. When rebuilding a high mileage Noirthstar, almost every hole needs a Time Sert. I have allot of practice. Very important to get the insert installed straight. No give in a bushing repair like you can sometimes get away with when doing a coil type repair.

[hurryinhoosier62]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

A Time Sert is a solid bushing type of thread repair. There are several other brands of these, some have pins on the OD you drive down so they are very unlikely to turn, some are made of various hard materials including stainless steel. Time Serts are held in place with red Locktite on the OD. The thing I really like about them is they fit in a specially prepared hole you make with their tooling. This includes a little step counterbore at the top of the hole which nicely finishes the deck surface if you do it right. The tooling is pretty expensive, about double the cost of a coil repair because of the counterbore tool and special installation tool which is part of the kit. I would estimate a kit for a 1/2-13 hole would run $60-75. The bushings are cheap. Less than $ 1.00 each for normal sizes. GM includes Time Sert master kits as "Essential Tools" for all their flimsy. crappy, aluminum engines they have been making over the past 20 or so years, starting with the Cadillac Northstar. When rebuilding a high mileage Noirthstar, almost every hole needs a Time Sert. I have allot of practice. Very important to get the insert installed straight. No give in a bushing repair like you can sometimes get away with when doing a coil type repair.

The Northstar was a 1000 times better than the 4100 series Cadillac engine. I've had to put as many as 12-15 helicoils and Time Serts into ONE block.

[mgarblik]

You mean putting an iron head on a 57 lb. aluminum V8 engine block is a bad idea? Cadillac: "Standard of the World"

[hurryinhoosier62]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

You mean putting an iron head on a 57 lb. aluminum V8 engine block is a bad idea? Cadillac: "Standard of the World"

Yeah, another one of Roger Smith's GREAT ideas. I grew to hate those POS. 57lbs? Try 35lbs for a bare block. I could lift one with two fingers. The heads and cranks were decent (nodular crank). Everything else in the engine was garbage. The crush on the liner seal was critical. IF the machinist setting the liner height was .001 off, the liner would leak (wet liner).