engine gurus, help please!

[EODBRIAN]

this evening while over-torquing my head bolts on a gas 350 to diesel 350 specs (don't ask, im still kickin' myself!!) i ended up stripping out the threads in the block on the number 6 cylinder between the rocker studs during step torquing. this is a water jacket head bolt, not an oil bolt (which im hoping is a good thing). what options do i have for a repair? will a heli-coil hold a 65 ft. lb. torque?? any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

EODBRIAN

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[KRAZIE87K5]

Yikes man! Sorry to hear about that... you might want to consult an engine builder in your area, they will probably be able to give you the best advice.

Water jackets are under less pressure, so at least you have a lesser chance of springing a leak into your cylinder # 6!

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[Ryan B.]

My buddy stripped out one of the head bolts on his 454...
We were all stoked to get the heads back on with the new valvejob, but we had to helicoil one of the threads for the stripped head bolts.
The helicoil worked fine, and it has held up for like 6 months now.

 

[dyeager535]

If its a choice betwen helicoil, and something else, go with something else. In my case, they are commonly called "thread-serts". You drill and tap the screwed up hole with the next bigger size (7/16 to 1/2 inch, etc) and just screw the threadsert in. Threadsert doesn't have any weird thread pitch or anything, just screwdriver flats and loc-tite already on it. You use the screwdriver flats to thread it in flush, then bolt whatever you need to up to it. I've used them on aluminum intake manifolds in locations that needed to be water tight, and years later they still don't leak. About $2.50 a piece at a GOOD hardware store.

Dorian
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Why insist on counting when the ring gear has the tooth counts stamped in?

 

[POWERMAD]

I used heli-coils on the BBC in my 73.
I wound up doing every head bolt hole in the block.
That was almost 4 years ago and it is still going strong.
I just used Permatex #2, the brown goo to seal the threads on the bolts.
Therad serts are pretty cool. I wish I had known about them when I did mine.


<font color=green> Too bad ignorance isn't painful </font color=green>

 

[chevyracing]

You can use helicoils but get some good ones like from NAPA or simular place. They make different quality ones. Some are aluminum and the better ones are stainless steel. Water leaks are the small worry. There is enough pressure in one cylinder when it fires to blow a 6 foot by 6 foot piece of solid steel weighing several tons over 20 feet in the air. You want something that is going to hold. This may bring some critics but it works. After you have test torqued the heli-coil remove it and coat the threads of the heli-coil that mate with the block with a thin layer of JB Weld. Let the JB weld set up over night then run your tap down through the heli-coil and proceed with your project.

John

Like to go sloppin' 'round in da mud in a rapid fashion....=)

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[CaptCrunch]

Either of the two should work IMO. Just make sure there is no damage other then that. If you are unsure consult a good engine shop or race shop. Make sure you use a new gasket and get a new set of head bolts even if the bolt itself looks ok. I recomend a 3M Gold gasket maker or equiv. on the threads, as when using heli-coils in coolant areas I have seen leaks with just thread sealer.

-Mikey
1987 Chevy K5 Blazer- 350 TBI
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