The Ford Barn

cretin · 06-03-2016, 12:03 AM

Hi guys,
Sorry if this is a basic question, but my searches have yielded no results.
I have a '37 flathead that I picked up from the machine shop today, and am just about ready to assemble. When removing the head studs, I broke 4 of them. Since I am keeping the factory heads, I was going to reuse the factory studs as well. Is there anywhere I can get studs individually? I only see whole sets for sale. All 4 are 3" long. Any help is appreciated.

my4dv8 · 06-03-2016, 01:04 AM

I hope the machine shop checked the deck for level? Thousands out there used. Suggest a listing in the wanted section. Or someone can PM you , they should be darn near free. Removing the broken ones can be testing at times.plenty of helpful threads on removing pesky broken studs.

cretin · 06-03-2016, 01:20 AM

Yea, I had the block decked, no problems there.

JWL · 06-03-2016, 05:18 AM

Mac's Antique Auto Parts. In the past they sold individual studs. Don't know about today but their website should spell that out.

flatjack9 · 06-03-2016, 08:28 AM

Southside Obsolete in Minnesota has NOS studs available individually.

GOSFAST · 06-03-2016, 08:52 AM

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You can order 4 oil pump studs for the BB Chevy, stud will fit and comes with new nuts and washers. Also has shorter bottom threads (.750") if necessary over the heat-crossover area.

Thanks, Gary in N.Y.

P.S. Mfd by ARP, part #230-7003.

35fordtn · 06-03-2016, 09:44 AM

Call Roy Nacewicz at 734-654-9450 his studs have been trusted for years by many

Seth Swoboda · 06-03-2016, 09:54 AM

I'm not suggesting Cretin is doing any thing incorrect but I have always bought new studs when rebuilding a flathead. Can the old studs be reused with without any problems? I know a set of new studs is expensive.

Vanspeed · 06-03-2016, 10:54 AM

How was the block decked with the head studs in place??

Ronnie · 06-03-2016, 11:16 AM

He would have broken the studs off when preparing for the machine shop visit.

R

cretin · 06-03-2016, 01:29 PM

Thanks for all the info guys.

Ronnie is correct. The studs were broken of during removal before the trip to the machine shop. Now I'm looking to replace the items that were previously broken.

Bluebell · 06-03-2016, 05:21 PM

Hi Cretin, Can I suggest you put in a full set?
The reason behind this is that you should get consistency of stretch when you torque your heads down. If you replace just a few, the new ones might stretch more than the old (or less?) I'm not trying to say you have to, just that you might feel better about it if you replace them all. Just trying to help.
When cleaning out the holes, put a grinder cut down a good old stud and use that instead of a tap. The original studs are a rolled thread, and you do not want to take any material out of the block. If you can find Rumbleseats info on head studs it would be good info to follow. He covers the water leak thing as well.

mike in tucson · 06-03-2016, 06:13 PM

Van Pelt has some really nice studs MADE IN THE USA. Of course, ARP are super quality but pricey. Van Pelt's are really nice and priced right. You have to know which length you need, by the way.

Walt Dupont--Me. · 06-03-2016, 06:26 PM

Southside Obsolete, Fred Willner 507-332-6789 or cell 320-309-2580

russcc · 06-03-2016, 06:41 PM

The best studs in the world are original Fords, especially seasoned ones.. For stock heads, as Flatjack & Walt suggested, Fred Wilner at SSO. Fred's are NOS, the best there is. I bought them individually from Fred.

ford38v8 · 06-03-2016, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluebell

Hi Cretin, Can I suggest you put in a full set?
The reason behind this is that you should get consistency of stretch when you torque your heads down. If you replace just a few, the new ones might stretch more than the old (or less?) I'm not trying to say you have to, just that you might feel better about it if you replace them all. Just trying to help.
When cleaning out the holes, put a grinder cut down a good old stud and use that instead of a tap. The original studs are a rolled thread, and you do not want to take any material out of the block. If you can find Rumbleseats info on head studs it would be good info to follow. He covers the water leak thing as well.

Excellent advice.

cretin · 06-03-2016, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluebell

Hi Cretin, Can I suggest you put in a full set?
The reason behind this is that you should get consistency of stretch when you torque your heads down. If you replace just a few, the new ones might stretch more than the old (or less?) I'm not trying to say you have to, just that you might feel better about it if you replace them all. Just trying to help.
When cleaning out the holes, put a grinder cut down a good old stud and use that instead of a tap. The original studs are a rolled thread, and you do not want to take any material out of the block. If you can find Rumbleseats info on head studs it would be good info to follow. He covers the water leak thing as well.

Hi Bluebell,
Thanks for the input.
I understand the possibility of the studs stretching at different rates, so my question would be this. If I torque them all to spec, and re-torque after the first few heat cycles, and they all even out to staying at spec, then does it really matter if they stretch different?
Only thing I can think of is maybe the new ones take longer to settle to torque, which could effectively result in the heads being torqued out of sequence, and the head not being seated completely correctly?

While I'm not new to engines, I am new to building a flathead. From the research I've done, I've read that because of the rolled thread, new studs don't fit quite as well as the factory studs, as a result you should use your old one if you can. Of course everyone has their opinions, and I also could have gotten bad info. So, I appreciate everyones input who has more experience then I.

Thats a good tip about using an old stud to clean up the threads.

I'll look up the other info you suggested as well.

Bluebell · 06-04-2016, 05:31 AM

Hi Cretin, I am like you, An old mechanic building his first flathead right now.
I agree with what you say except that 1, if you keep re torqing they must eventually settle.2, any reasonable quality stud will have a rolled thread, not a cut thread.
I have cleaned out the threads on my block and the nice looking new studs I bought from Roy Nacewitz screw in nicely with my fingers. I am pleased with the result.
I have read most of the info from Rumbleseat more than once. there is some really good info there that he left for us to use.

06-03-2016, 12:03 AM	#1
cretin Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: S.F.V. Cali. Posts: 133	Individual head studs Hi guys, Sorry if this is a basic question, but my searches have yielded no results. I have a '37 flathead that I picked up from the machine shop today, and am just about ready to assemble. When removing the head studs, I broke 4 of them. Since I am keeping the factory heads, I was going to reuse the factory studs as well. Is there anywhere I can get studs individually? I only see whole sets for sale. All 4 are 3" long. Any help is appreciated.

06-03-2016, 01:20 AM	#3
cretin Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: S.F.V. Cali. Posts: 133	Re: Individual head studs Yea, I had the block decked, no problems there.

06-03-2016, 05:18 AM	#4
JWL Member Emeritus Join Date: May 2010 Location: Fitzgerald, Georgia Posts: 2,204	Re: Individual head studs Mac's Antique Auto Parts. In the past they sold individual studs. Don't know about today but their website should spell that out.

06-03-2016, 08:28 AM	#5
flatjack9 Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Oshkosh, Wi Posts: 4,526	Re: Individual head studs Southside Obsolete in Minnesota has NOS studs available individually.

06-03-2016, 09:44 AM	#7
35fordtn Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: McMinnville, TN Posts: 2,327	Re: Individual head studs Call Roy Nacewicz at 734-654-9450 his studs have been trusted for years by many

06-03-2016, 01:04 AM	#2
my4dv8 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: New Zealand Posts: 1,111	Re: Individual head studs I hope the machine shop checked the deck for level? Thousands out there used. Suggest a listing in the wanted section. Or someone can PM you , they should be darn near free. Removing the broken ones can be testing at times.plenty of helpful threads on removing pesky broken studs.

06-03-2016, 09:54 AM	#8
Seth Swoboda Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 3,795	Re: Individual head studs I'm not suggesting Cretin is doing any thing incorrect but I have always bought new studs when rebuilding a flathead. Can the old studs be reused with without any problems? I know a set of new studs is expensive.

06-03-2016, 10:54 AM	#9
Vanspeed Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Suttons Bay, Mich. Posts: 3,384	Re: Individual head studs How was the block decked with the head studs in place?? __________________ *Respecting and Resurrecting Ford Model A's.*

06-03-2016, 11:16 AM	#10
Ronnie Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Canada Where it snows Posts: 2,058	Re: Individual head studs He would have broken the studs off when preparing for the machine shop visit. R

06-03-2016, 01:29 PM	#11
cretin Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: S.F.V. Cali. Posts: 133	Re: Individual head studs Thanks for all the info guys. Ronnie is correct. The studs were broken of during removal before the trip to the machine shop. Now I'm looking to replace the items that were previously broken.

06-03-2016, 05:21 PM	#12
Bluebell Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Tauranga, New Zealand Posts: 726	Re: Individual head studs Hi Cretin, Can I suggest you put in a full set? The reason behind this is that you should get consistency of stretch when you torque your heads down. If you replace just a few, the new ones might stretch more than the old (or less?) I'm not trying to say you have to, just that you might feel better about it if you replace them all. Just trying to help. When cleaning out the holes, put a grinder cut down a good old stud and use that instead of a tap. The original studs are a rolled thread, and you do not want to take any material out of the block. If you can find Rumbleseats info on head studs it would be good info to follow. He covers the water leak thing as well.

06-03-2016, 06:13 PM	#13
mike in tucson Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Tucson, AZ Posts: 177	Re: Individual head studs Van Pelt has some really nice studs MADE IN THE USA. Of course, ARP are super quality but pricey. Van Pelt's are really nice and priced right. You have to know which length you need, by the way.

06-03-2016, 06:26 PM	#14
Walt Dupont--Me. Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Gardiner Me. Posts: 4,200	Re: Individual head studs Southside Obsolete, Fred Willner 507-332-6789 or cell 320-309-2580

06-03-2016, 06:41 PM	#15
russcc Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 2,871	Re: Individual head studs The best studs in the world are original Fords, especially seasoned ones.. For stock heads, as Flatjack & Walt suggested, Fred Wilner at SSO. Fred's are NOS, the best there is. I bought them individually from Fred.

06-04-2016, 05:31 AM	#18
Bluebell Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Tauranga, New Zealand Posts: 726	Re: Individual head studs Hi Cretin, I am like you, An old mechanic building his first flathead right now. I agree with what you say except that 1, if you keep re torqing they must eventually settle.2, any reasonable quality stud will have a rolled thread, not a cut thread. I have cleaned out the threads on my block and the nice looking new studs I bought from Roy Nacewitz screw in nicely with my fingers. I am pleased with the result. I have read most of the info from Rumbleseat more than once. there is some really good info there that he left for us to use.