Really it is a silly question for somebody who has replaced the head gasket and rebuilt the engine.

I'm sure I've touched and known it by it's full name.

Thanks

 

AMF makes bowling balls and other sporting-goods equipment.

AFM is the air flow meter that sits right on top of your air filter.

 

Oh Abe, you warm my heart.

BTW, my head gasket blew after only 300 miles on my rebuild. Some of the head bolts came loose!!!! Yes I torqued them down right.

I talked to Ted and Tod at Engine Builder. They said,
1: Don't use a sealant with the Rock head gaskets they supply. Which I did. I can see why after pull off the head. The Rock gasket actuall sealed better with no sealer. (except for the couple places the head bolts came loose).

2: Check Head bolts after 100 miles when you do the valve adjustment. Oh well live and learn.

Another FYI. Remember the wierd squeely noise I had after I changed my TO bearing? Well it is going away. Slowly each day it is less and less. Weird.

 

Engnbldr actually recommends going back and checking the headbolts? Hmmm.....I didn't do that, but I'm not having any issues, so I must be okay.

Aside from that little detail, when you reassembled the headbolts, did you make sure the block threads were clean and the headbolts could be threaded all the way down by hand? Before you tightened them down and torqued them?

 

Yes and no to your questions. I got the block back from the machine shop, so it was nice and clean. I blew air into the bolt holes and made an awesome ear hurting high pitch squeel in the process. But no, I did not and thread in the bolt before putting on the head.

I'm wondering if they are too long since the block and head were both decked. I ordered new bolts. But if I remember right one of the guys from engine builder said their new bolts were a tad shorter just so they would work on rebuilds.

 

You might consider head studs. Pricey at $130 from Summit. According to 4crawler you torque the nuts to 80 ft-lb instead of 58-60.

Otherwise, make sure that you're getting rotation all the way to final torque. Shouldn't get significant increase in torque without rotation. Test to make sure that at final torque that torque is close in both directions. Shouldn't have a big drop in torque with very small ccw rotation.

Check the new head bolt lengths to see how much shorter they are than the originals. Probably should be shorter by how much has been surfaced away.

 

Oh, you went the new bolt route. Well, threading them by hand tells you if they will indeed tighten all the way down giving an even clamping force and no false torque readings. Probably moot in your case, though, since you have the block cleaned and new bolts.

And, speaking of new bolts.......I do remember now engnbldr does recommend going back over them. I reused my originals, so according to what I read from engnbldr it wasn't necessary. The bolts are already "stretched", so to speak. I know this isn't really the correct way to describe and differentiate, but I'm too tired to get all technical and schmidt.

 

ARP FTW

Get the head studs - they allow a high torque which equals higher cylinder head clamping forces and added durability

 

I see you still have oregon plates

 

Mmm yes I do. If I have it my way I will have the forever.