Ebay SCAM Parts Nearly Destroyed My Chevy 350 Engine Build.
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.ย. 2024
- Horrible EBAY parts plague the car world, and unfortunately, I was not exempt from dealing with the garbage parts sold to car enthusiasts everywhere. My Chevy 350 nearly suffered catastrophic damage from these cheap parts.
Never had any problems with ARP bolts, definitely worth spending the money on, and always chase the threads with a tap to make sure they are clean.
He's cheap
Never ever use a tap. It will remove material creating excess thread to thread.clearance. Use a thread restore.
@@fristtime4983 he’s a beginner he will learn the hard way like me that some cheap parts are fine but there’s a lot that you should spend the extra on.
They're probably fake ARP bolts - typical eB
I've had quite a few VW guys have issues with arp in some applications, if you've got one ,go Raceware.
You forgot washers. Never torque head bolts on aluminum heads without them. I measure the diameter right under the flange with calipers, and order up ARP machined washers that fit. A typical hardware store offerings fit rather poorly and must be avoided. Some assembly lube applied under the flange helps keep washers from spinning when bolts are torqued.
The beauty of torsion bar type torque wrenches is... there is no 'click' to fail - just a vernier scale to watch. I torque to spec and hold about two seconds: if its good, there's no dropoff, and its done.
Flinch, you are 100% correct about torsion type torque wrenches. In my 35 year career (been retired for almost 10 years) I worked in a USAF Precision Measurement Laboratory and was Flight Chief for the last 12 years. I have repaired, calibrated and certified literally thousands of torque wrenches of every imaginable type and make. The most accurate type of torque wrench actually measures the fastener "stretch" thereby achieving the desired clamping force. The downside is that you must have access to both ends of the fastener so there are very few places in the engine where this type can be used. Most connecting rod bolts can be measured in this way. Believe it or not, the "clicker" style torque wrench is actually the least accurate, primarily because of the "creep" that fasteners often have. I have torqued head bolts with a clicker, then gone back to the same fastener with a torsion torque wrench and hold the same torque. The bolts will almost always continue to turn while the desired torque is held constant. I've had some creep down for almost half a turn before stopping. For most general automotive use the clickers work fine. But if you are building a performance motor or working on some other torque critical device, then the clicker type torque wrench is not the best choice. Anyone can prove to themselves that the clickers don't allow for creep by repeating the test I noted above. The torsion wrenches (also known as deflecting beam wrenches) will be more consistent and ensure proper clamping force.
Don't worry about adding extra washers under the bolt head the oem didn't use washers for those bolts so they are fine. if they were going to damage the head the damage would already be done and taking them out to add extra washers would be a waste of time. If you had aftermarket studs or bolts that came with washers use them but don't add washers under those bolts.
I heard an old adage years ago from an engine builder and it holds true here: "You can have a low buck engine or a reliable engine but you cannot have a low buck reliable engine". You get what you pay for, especially with fasteners.
I have been selling performance parts all my life and I am old. Anyways, on mild street/strip engines do yourself a favor and just reuse the stock bolts. If you are going to use anything other than stock bolts use ARP, but you need to know that a lot of the ARP stuff does not go bolted to stock torque specs and they usually do not tell you the packaging or the boxes you get. You need to go to their website to find out the torque specs you need or call them. I always recommend using stock bolts on mild street/strip engines,sthe only bolts I would change on a rebuild are the rod bolts and I will only use ARP, but be sure to figure out what torque spec they recommend. Avoid ALL cheap bolts that are being sold out there, most are junk, as you just found out.
Exactly. I would have just thought giving you new bolts with the heads was a nice gesture and then I would have put them on the shelf and reused the original bolts. Factory bolts are fine.
Exactly. 😉 Many of the younger guys know the TTY bolts (Torque To Yield) which normally would not be re-used because they were permanently stretched during the factory build. You can verify these bolts by looking up the spec and if it gives you a Torque Angle instead of a ft/lbs or n/m value then trash them and buy new, quality fasteners. The older stuff, like shown here, the factory bolts are of good quality and can (and have been for many years) reused. It may be a good idea in some applications to do the measuring and math for bolt depth when swapping heads. You don’t want your torque value to come from the bolt bottoming out in the hole.
Re-using the original factory bolts would have been a better choice in this build by just adding a set of ARP hardened head bolt washers. They are sold in packs of 10, and 2, and you'll need 34 for both heads. The 10 pack P/N is 200-8768 and the 2 pack P/N is 200-8738. These washers have a chamfer on one side of the inside diameter, and that should face the head of the bolts, not the cylinder head. Good luck on the rest of the build.
@hellokitteh6431 - I was mostly talking about the bolts- material and torque procedures. I’ve been a Pontiac guy for a long time and there are many different factory/Iron heads, never had the budget for the aluminum stuff. The TTY stuff is more late model/grocery getters. Toss those bolts for sure.
@Hello Kitteh Ummm, he put oil under the heads so they won't gall and as for the length I assume he checked the length against each of them, he is pretty good at following instructions. It isn't a high performance race motor where you are taking the heads off a fair bit, it is for his Mum. Anyway we are commenting after the fact as he used the factory bolts anyway and I doubt the heads will be coming off to change them anytime soon. What brand heads are they anyway?
I'm really shocked you just pulled them heads out of the bag and stuck them on. That's a brave move no matter what brand they are.
Thats for sure I bought new edelbrock heads an was have different valve springs installed. Machine shop said while they are apart they should be checked for mounting surface flatness. The heads were not flat at all an had to be surfaced....
Never buy heads and put them on without checking them
@@sadfab2347 every set of aluminum heads I’ve seen had to be milled to get them flat. If you were running a completely stock bottom end you may be able to get away with out of the box but if your running higher compression or any type of power adders, you want to make sure they are absolutely flat or your gonna have issues.
Anytime I get a new set of heads, they go straight to the machine shop for a complete inspection and tweaking to be sure they are flat and will not have issues
Not shocking at all. That's what at least half of head buyers do. They don't know any better.
Exactly. But even with that being said, only a fool would buy pertinent engine parts from ebay or amazon, especially when there's tons of information proving how the vast majority of these parts are counterfeits and/or pure garbage to begin with. Ya get what you pay for. For me personally, I've always grown highly suspicious anytime I see brand new parts available at ridiculously low prices. That tells me the raw materials used are crap, and cheap labor, think: CHINA.
I'd recommend installing the pan after the front cover is in place. Less potential trouble with the front pan seal.
Yes the timing cover has a grove the pan sets in.
That's a newbie mistake. Wonder how much procomp shit is in this motor?
These guys are uninformed and result is stupidity. Concerned with over spray.He never disassembled checked spring lbs.,checked seat of valves... All the speed shops are gone and knowledge lost good luck!
A hot tip from an old timer early in my wrenching career- when torquing, do the sequence. When doing final torque, go around again. If ANY bolt moves, finish the sequence, then go around them all AGAIN. Repeat until none move. On my 6g72 Stealth engines, Ive had to do the sequence a few times, but its worth the extra effort, just like the old timer said...
I'd be more worried about the rest of the parts in that kit not just the bolts.. If they used cheap bolts then you can bet your left nut they did the same with the parts.
and your right nut, in the kit.
You should chase all of your threads in the block prior to installation.
You got very lucky getting that out. Go with ARP bolts
I have used Xotic studs from ebay and have never had a problem. They are half the price of ARPs and are pretty strong. However, I would use ARP if in doubt.
@@brockstarg2296 Xotic is a Canadian company, they also make studs for Cummins used them on a few low HP builds. Never had a problem with them either seem to be very good quality for the price.
I agree ARP bolts are fantastic but not always necessary. I could see you are using cast pistons and regular gaskets so I'm sure you're not going to be adding big boost or crazy amounts of nitrous. factory bolts are perfect for your build.
It was back in about 1999/2000 when I was building a 383 SBC. I used those same new bolts and had the same exact thing happen. I stopped, tossed all of them in the trash and ordered ARP bolts. They come with washers and are rated to handle a lot more torque force than the originals. Since then I always use ARP on all my builds. Also, that timing chain gear set cover has to or should go on the engine before the oil pan. Those head gaskets may not work for those heads. Aluminum heads to a cast block are to use a MLS gasket. Good luck with the build.
I used those eBay heads on a 406 build several years ago. The valvetrain geometry was a mess, SBC rocker arms fit like socks on a rooster. I ended up having to use Ford Windsor rockers along with adjustable guide plates but that was a bandaid….one day the engine developed a significant miss, pulled the valve cover off and a pushrod wore enough into the guide plate that the rocker walked off the tip of the valve. I pulled the heads off, slapped on used Vortecs with the spring upgrade and never looked back. Good luck bro, I know the stress and angst you’re talking about.
bad replacement parts are a curse across the whole industry the last few years(not just performance stuff-even regular replacement parts). Even stuff from well known parts stores. Thats why i wont use anything except OE stuff anymore-and even that can be suss at times.
Never cheap out on fasteners. They see a lot of forces you wouldn’t think about.
They are trying to contain multiple repeated explosions.
He didn't get scammed he just bought cheap stuff
Never had problems using / reusing SBC OEM bolts…
Exactly! If they don't have any heavy corrosion/pitting, and you're not building a 12.5:5 compression ration, stock GM bolts are just fine.
And remember the golden rule, there's a reason cheap parts are cheap!
Very interesting video. You need to let your watchers know what make, bolt kit you bought.
Choosing the wrong parts is more or less a rookie mistake, and I don't know anyone who has never made that mistake. Best thing is learning from it. BTW, you do a good video, filming close up and describing every step. Keep up the good work.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the video, and yes I certainly am getting a learning experience from this!
Just blows my mind that people will spend a lot of money on rebuilding an engine but skimp on fasteners. I'd also like to think you checked the really important things on them heads before you bolted them on. Just because they are new doesn't mean there isn't an issue with valves, seats, springs etc. Good luck, can't wait to hear it fire up
I love the enthusiasm and the effort you put into your videos!!! Best of luck moving forward!
Thank you! Much appreciated, hope you enjoy 😁
Absolutely go with arp, but if their product is too costly get those Summit 6 or 12 point head bolts rated at 180, 000 but really it would have been better to use head studs on your engine it's a better clamping force on those aluminum heads since aluminum is a little more temperamental than cast iron, meaning retorking is in order after the first running of the engine just to be sure everything is nice and tight and absolutely stay away from those Teflon coated head bolts they are more than likely Chinese low quality regurgitated steel from recycled steel from old pots, pans, fridges and stoves and so on they buy our scrap and melt it and send it all back to us as shiny new parts that have no business on any engine buyer beware!
Looks like a shoe maker
Elgin bolts are fine and cheap too
You're suppose to chase the threads in the block first, make sure they are all cleaned out, and oil the threads that do not get sealer on them as well. I also like using liquid sealer on the water-jacket bolts, because it acts more like a lubricant than "pre-sealed" threads do.
P.S. DO NOT find out on first start!!!!!! When in doubt, CHANGE IT OUT!!! If you are using these same type bolts elsewhere in the engine, change them out! I'm not kidding you, this is YOUR responsibility. If something lets go on the bottom end, nobody is going to be there to cover the expense but you!! ARP bolts are simple, cheap insurance!!! "Yeah, but that's going to cost me another $200-$300 in bolts" - Oh yeah?... and what's a broken engine going to cost you?
And when it comes to cleaning out the threads, use a worn tap rather than a new one, still removes and debris but removes way less metal from the threads.
Good head bolts and main cap bolts are worth every penny. Question- How do you plan to get the timing cover on with the oil pan installed? Are you cutting the corners off the inside of the cover?
Was going to ask exactly the same question.
Hes made a lot more work for himself by leaving it off til after the pan went on.
A lifted head would have been very aggravating so I'm glad that broke when it did.
I hope your other parts hold up. I'll follow along on your testing...just became your 300th subscriber.
Welcome to the club!
You need to install hardened steel washers on the head bolts. Them there bolts were chinesezium steel.
Man, you are one lucky guy. You got that bolt out. One more thing I ONLY use ARP Bolts.
Who would have thought that a set of sub 1000 dollar heads that come with bolts and everything would include shit parts. Wait until the springs go to shit or the valve seat falls out and ruins your entire engine
Great video.....When it comes to engines, I always use ARP studs.....Sometimes saving a few $$ can cost you a lot more in the end. I'm glad it worked out for ya!
Timing set looks like a non performance type. Will get loose in no time. Better switch it out for a true race double roller timing set. Will give piece of mind.
You got lucky. Never skimp out on your fasteners
It's best if you rotate block so deck is straight up prior to head install.That is what the multiple holes in the post of stand are for.
I’ve always been told to never reuse old head bolts. Also something that’s not talked about too often is always make sure to return the dial to “zero” on your torque wrench after use.
I have a clapped out old Buick 350 engine in my daily driver. I’ve had the heads off several times and reused the old bolts. Hell I’ve reused the steel intake gasket 5 times.
Just because you did, doesn’t mean you should. Just means you can’t afford new ones and also makes me wonder why you’ve had the heads off your engine so many times if it was done right to begin with..
It was a fun experiment. Bought a 350 Buick with unknown miles for 150 bucks, proceeded to put 80,000 hard miles on it over the course of three years. Wore out a cam, an oil pump, swapped heads, had a head gasket blow so I put in a new one and then drove it to Florida after my trip to Arizona. It was the true ultimate junkyard engine.
Head bolts on older engines can be used several times. However the technology on the newer designed engines has mandated "stretch to yield" bolts which need to be discarded after one use.
Look at both ends of the broken bolt. You'll find dark & silver areas. The dark area is caused from oxidation. The silver area is the only part of the metal that was holding the bolt together.
If you're working on a American cast iron engine made before 1985 always reuse the original bolts or Vist your local bolt supply to purchase grade 8 bolts. They will cost a lot less than a prepackaged bolt kit.
Note the following procedure for prep & installation of head bolts is from GM 1967 Cutlass 330 engine shop manual.
Clean the threads with wire buffing wheel. Chase the threads in the block with a tap. Dunk head bolt threads in 30 weight oil, Install & follow torque sequence & values. The oil lubricates the threads to avoid False Torque Values thus properly sealing the gasket to the Head & Block
theres a time and place for cheap parts, head bolts and torque wrenches are not the items id buy cheap. Too much money invested in engines to run questionable parts.
with the exception of ARP i never ever use aftermarket head bolts. even brands like Fel-Pro head bolts are total rubbish. i got burned with a fel-pro head bolt breaking off deep inside a Subaru engine - never again! only use either OEM or ARP head bolts
Never use a vise grip on an extractor. Use a tap handle if you have room to swing the handle. That head gasket is compromised by the first squeeze even though it wasn’t to torque. I hope it doesn’t leak.
I think you handled yourself really well...I would have lost my shit...but there's just some things you can't skimp on...USA fasteners and hardware.
Torque down 26 head bolts on a C-15 caterpillar to a final torque of 333 and you'll certainly be sweating!
Aren’t head bolts torque to yield meaning they stretch and shouldn’t be reused?
Generally it's best to have a machine shop perform at a minimum a valve job/ check on cheap aftermarket heads. Lots of leaks usually from what I've seen in research. Check out Eric Weingarter channel for some references. Hate to see wasted effort here. Keep up the great work.
*on any mass produced head
So you know - once the head is removed there’s no load on the threads.
Yeah, why drill it out, there was a quarter inch of stud left to grab with channel locks or vise grip.
Chinesium bolts... ARP next time they also should have washers under the head of the bolts. Should have used Cometic MLS head gaskets with aluminum heads.
Should never reuse headbolts. Once they are torqued down, they stretch, and retorquing stretches them even further leaving them extremely weakened and susceptible to allowing the head to warp or the bolt to snap under high rpm pressure. There's reasons why ARP are highly recommended and more reasons why cheapo Chinese are not. That few $$ saved could have easily cost you the head and/or block, and may yet still.
Head bolts can be reused, just not "torque to yield" type. Stock BBC and SBC bolts have been reused for 50 years with no issues. Ebay bolts are sourced from China, and may look like a good bolt ,but they are rubber. Also ARP bolts have been counterfeited and sold on ebay. Hard to determine a bolts quality by looking at them, and testing a bolt will sometimes damage it. Buy your critical parts from a reputable supply source. Local speed shop, Summit, Jegs, and the like.
I bought 3 different sets of clevite bearings online. Eventually Perfomancepartsracing got it right. Never try to shortcut a engine build.
I’m a mechanic, I’ve seen this before. Some of the no name aftermarket stuff ya gotta watch for and like you found out, use your instincts when something doesn’t seem or feel right going together. Quality on a lot of parts is down these days. Keep pulling wrenches dude!
Thanks Corey! Means a lot to hear some motivational support from a real mechanic out there doing this every day!
The lesson here is always buy a quality fastener kit like ARP or MR GASKET you will never go wrong with them
Those are torque to yield bolts, sir junk one time use. GM used them for fast assembly
never use head bolts provided in an unmarked head, always use either factory bolts, or ARP Studs/Bolts, but the factory bottom outside bolts if you get them brand new from a parts store are silver so no they were probably already used and abused bolts
When you lube the threads, you use a lower torque specification. If not, you risk snapping bolts.
I BUY PRODCTS FROM NAMES AND BRANDS I TRUST. LIKE SUMMIT RACING, ARP, HOLLEY, EDELBROCK, COMPANIES THAT HAVE BEEN AROUND FIFTY YEARS OR MORE. AND I ALWAYS LEARN WHAT PARTS TO USE FROM WATCHING THE PROFESSIONALS. I ALSO LEARN FROM READING MY CAR AND TRUCK MAGAZINES. YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. REGARDLESS OF WAHT IT IS. THANKS FOR LETTING ME SHARE.
That's why they design the bolts to stretch so gasket will push out before head cracks
ARP assembly lube for the bolt heads. Once the bolt snapped there’s very little pressure. Looks like the hole is dirty.
You should always use arp hardware they are meant for torquing down to certain foot pounds it can happen to oem hardware aswell just probably alot stronger than the Chinese ones
Seeing you are wearing a jacket and there is firewood in the background I will assume the garage is cold and so are the tools. I have found in my experience that a cold click style torque wrench will not click sometimes when cold. I broke a few OEM head bolts tightening when the wrench was cold as ice.
Huh… very interesting. I’ll have to look into that and see if mine is the same!
I never leave that hardened on thread sealer crap on bolts, I find it is way to thick and takes way too much force to turn them in. I wire wheel it off and use proper sealant or thread locker.
You are supposed to use hardened washers under the head bolts on aluminum heads. ARP bolts are worth every cent.
When it broke you had both hand on the end of the torque wrench pulling at an angle , you weren't supporting the head of the wrench assuring you were lined up straight , you did the same in the screw extractor lucky you didn't break that off in there too
I'm not a bolt guy but from what I've learned the gold is grade 8 or 10.5 or whatever for metric black is special but dont know why and silver or grey is grade 5. You handed that really well for not ever running into that before 👌🏻👌🏻
Put both feet on the engine stand and stand right on it,that way you don't have to brace the engine from moving,and all the torque goes into the fastener.
black bolts are usually arp. silver bolts are usually stock or random maker. black bolts usually better quality. silver bolts are rng if they last or not. gl gb. glad ur engines ok.
This is why you pay money for quality fasteners, they do not have to be ARP but get name brand, and mic everything check everything these days.
I would pull and check all the valves springs retainers and locks before installing the high quality heads…
Thankfully it happened now, not after the project was done, then under load at high acceleration.... Not properly heat treated, wrong metal.
I’ve reused old OEM head bolts several times. Never had a serious problem. They seem to be better quality anyway.
No, with OEM heads. I’ve reused plenty of 50 year old GM head and main cap bolts without issue.
Oh no.. I noticed when you broke the head bolt there was quite a bit of meat to grab onto, no need to drill into the bolt just put a pipe wrench or a vise grip on the stud and back it out.
Had it happen myself...got them from napa...it was a blemish in the internal part of the bolt...found a small bubble on the inside where it snapped...was able to take it back out with a pair of plyers alone!...ARP is the only way to go!
STEP 1: TAKE YOUR NEW HEAD (S) to the automotive engineers and get a hardness test on the heads. If they are pure aluminium they are pure s#!+!
STEP 2: do a leak test on the valves. Just use diesle in the chambers with heads upsidedown on the bench. Still full after an hour great. If not, return them or get the valves and seats sorted.
STEP 3: fit proper head bolt washers under the bolts a spot of lube under the head. The washer should sit there while the bolt turns on the washer. If the bolt tried to turn on Ali the materials bind.
STEP 4: check everything twice untill you rewrite step three. You have not checked the springs for installed and uninstalled height yet... Good Luck.
The blame is faulty head bolts that should exceed more than 65LBs. They should actually double that FT LBs. I wouldn't continue with that brand.
Engine building today with all the poor machine work and poor parts you need to check everything at least twice. Make sure to check all your lifters for proper tapering and camshaft lobes as well. Take your time good luck 👍 Hope this helps your build..
This should be lesson learned, don’t buy cheap eBay junk. Always buy quality fasteners when building a project like this, it’s not worth the gamble to save a few bucks. If you have any more of those bubble gum bolts in that engine you should be seriously tearing it back down and putting an ARP set in. Especially if you used them in the rotating assembly.
Some things cheaper is fine but alot of stuff I won't cheap out on. Head bolts are one head gaskets are another. Not worth the risk
Yea brotha been there done that ,have a corner in my garage with wrong parts or cheap parts to prove it.should have just rebuilt the matching heads that came on the motor port and polish.
I always tap all bolt holes before engine assembly and then a final cleaning is done. I would never use a washerless head bolt on an aluminum head. I also notice you didn't do any type of fitment checking. Piston to valve clearance, coil bind or check for proper valve seating or deck surface straightness. These are cheap heads i would check all the above.
Why would you put the oil pan on before you put the timing cover on? That's the WRONG way to do it. You should always put the timing cover on first.
OEM or ARP head bolts only there buddy.
Studs, heads, bearings, spark plugs.....there is a long list of parts you DO NOT buy from ebay!
Stay with factory bolts on a mild engine no need for any fancy bolts !!!
Why would you paint behind the timing chain under the timing cover where there's gonna be oil? If the oil eats the paint you'll be in trouble. You never want to paint those areas.
ARP and that's it. Garbage fasteners will always get you in trouble.
Those bolts broke at 65ftlbs? That's nothing. Stock SBM bolts are supposed to be torqued to like 95ftlbs.
Those bolts are total junk. If you need sealer on head bolts going into water jackets, you should use that brushable dark brown Permatex no.2. It never hardens. And it can be retorqued if it becomes necessary.
Some things you can cheap out on and some it's not a great idea. In general, I'd trust OEM head bolts, even used, over cheap head bolts. Or you could at least go name brand like Dorman or Mr. Gasket so there is some kind of QC and warranty. For specialty bolts, not much you can tell by the color AFAIK, but it seems those are probably a lower grade bolt than they should be or a bad batch in general. Could also be an issue with the threads causing them to have too much friction and lock up before the head is actually clamping. Good vid!
Generally you can feel the bolt stop stretching long before you break it. After you have torqued a few you feel it.
Make sure you install washers under those head bolts.ARP has them.
Moral of the story....Don't buy cheap shit like head bolts, pay the little extra and use Arp. Theres a place and time to save some pennies but head bolts isn't it
Always arp head bolts on everything even if you don’t need them because it’s a low hp build if you decide to add some power down the line then it’s already there if not it’s good insurance anyway
I have never had a problem reusing stock head bolts in a daily driver. Stuff happens just have to keep moving through which you did great its all a learning experience. Keep up the good work man. Looking forward to seeing more videos
This reminds me of a week long string of bad luck I recently had a few months back. The worst I've ever had to deal with while trying to build a pissed off little gm small block... I was installing a pair of Edelbrock performer rpm aluminum heads on a premium 283 short block I just put together. The plan, add decently high amounts of boost! Naturally I wanted to stay away from factory head bolts, even aftermarket ARP flavor head bolts in favor for a some head studs. I couldn't justify paying hundreds for a set of studs from GaY R Pee so when I eventually stumbled a cross sets of ebay no name china head studs for a wopping $40 bux plus tax LOL I know what your thinking...Anyways this was a first time using studs and trying to torque them without first applying the oil/lubrication between the washers and Nuts themselves proved to be catastrophic failure guys fml.. So I'm trying to torque these studs and I'm cranking them down and the readings im getting on this tq wrench digital attachment thing harbor freight sells that turns any half inch ratchet into a piece of shit tq wrench felt so hard to get tight that suddenly head #1 pop pop pop 3 studs failed b4 I tightened all 16. Snapped one stud and pulled every bit of the threads outta the other two. This happened on both heads b4 I realized what the issue was. Ended up removing both heads again and prepared to do some time serts or some thing to the tune of around $120 dollars for those, said fuck that and tried my luck with good ole hellicoils and ordered up another set of chinese head studs. With lube on the washers this time they all easily torqued to 100ftbs and helicoils held just fine too!
eBay Aluminum heads are decent out the box. But it you really plan to make and real HP. Ditch the Valves, Spring, Retainers, Studs, Guide Plates, and get name brand stuff.
That's crazy I have only ever used factory or arp bolts even grade 5 should not break at that torque I did get some headers off eBay they had a few issues but worked for me
In the engine building, race game - anybody and everybody knows go the extra mile before you ever try to cut corners. You also can’t really argue you believed eBay was sufficient and legit for a 350 basic build. Trio the trip to the parts store, wait that extra week for delivery.
It worth a lot more than having to go back two or three times - more times scrap who build and start over
This game not for everybody
Thats why arp is the only way to go yes they are stupid expensive but you have a guaranteed good bolt especially when it comes to putting high power and booste or nos you don't want to lift a head and burn between 2 cylinders
Don’t play around with head bolts go with ARP you can’t go wrong
We always used the old head bolts and we had to have new head bolts we got the from a heavy equipment machine shop . This is from a used car lot mechanic .
I'm getting a sticker made up for cars saying 'Made with the very finest CCP Speed Parts!' with the red hammer and sickle logo and all LOL
You should have checked those heads before you installed them, it is always a good idea to at least make sure the valves are sealing correctly by just poring some gasoline in the ports as seeing if the leak into the chambers. I would say that 95%+ of the time you will be good to just bolt them on, but I would recommend that you at least check with gasoline to make sure that the valves are sealing. Would not be a bad idea to see what springs are supplied with the heads and to check a couple of them to make sure they installed them at the correct height.
Especially after seeing the supporting parts are as cheap as they could get. I doubt they're doing much QC
I don't know why you would get head bolts off of ebay when they don't cost that much from the parts store I just put heads on a chevy 305 silver short bolts black long bolts didn't have a problem and I've done many heads sometimes going the cheap way will come back and bite you in the ass also have your torque wrench tested or by a decent torque wrench
You never bolt heads on right out of the bag. Even name brand name heads, whether bare or assembled, should go to the machine shop to be checked.
It dosen't hurt to learn a bit about metallurgy. There are some really good back pocketbooks online that professional builders have already absorbed into their brains. Good reading when your in the "shitter", after a couple cups of coffee.
the silver bolts are usually made from cheaper metal
Imagine being a diesel mechanic and doing thats stuff daily for customers 😅 been at it for 10years and will be independent soon.
Is the block in the thumbnail from Australia ? The fuel pump mounts on the drivers side.
Always ALWAYS: chase the threads in those head bolt holes in the block. Tanking the block at a machine shop does NOT get those holes/threads cleaned out, there are carbon deposits & gack caked up in those threads. Failing to do this important step results in false torque readings when torquing the heads down. Even the machinists will tell you this procedure falls on the responsibility of the engine builder.