ARP Flathead Cylinder-Head Studs...

I think about buying a set of ARP cylinder-head studs for my 8BA Flathead.Only heard good things about them.Only thing which gives me second thoughts is the price,ranging from 220 to 250 bucks (Flathead Jack's and Red's Headers).

Is my money well spend on those studs or will I also be fine with a "cheaper" stud set like,for example,the Hot Rod Company sells,which is $120.

I'm not sure if it's wise to save money on cylinder-head studs,espcially on a Flathead and need some advice on this.What kind of studs do you guys use ? Any kind of help on this subject is greatly appreciated !

 

I have two motors, one has studs I bought from speedway motors , the other arp the quality of the arp is way better than the speedway, worth the money in my opinion

 

Now this is just an opinion but it's a flathead, a multiple cylinder B&S lawn mower engine, its got about 7-8 to 1 compression or less, it spins relatively slow most of the time. There is not a lot of stress on head studs, its not a 15-1 alcohol engine, it only pumps around 100 psi. If you are building a street engine do you want to impress your friends with how much money you spend to idle around the cruise night parking lot or just have a practical good running piece and put your money toward something else. As for head studs on a flathead they only torque down to 50-60 lbs-ft for steel heads and 40-45 for aluminum. This isn't very much for this diameter fastener, you are really not stressing the stud so there is no need to get killer studs, you can just go to your local auto parts store and purchase head studs for a couple bucks each and call it good .

 

The real problem is the diameter. Henry's studs were full size and were tight in the block to stop water leakage. All of the aftermarket studs are smaller in diameter and many people have trouble with water leaks around the head studs. My friend makes his own that are full size, as were the originals, and doesn't have leakage problems on the engines he builds.

 

Da Javu buddy.

 

Heck, most any old stud will do. I use to pull the studs and go to head bolts instead, but to each his own.
I don't think I have ever seen a head stud or bolt pull from the pressures.
but, to each his own.

traderjack

 

So 45 Ft Lb torque for alloy Offy heads will be enough???

 

I have the ARP head BOLTS on my 8ba flathead, and they are great!...worth the money. If you buy cheaper bolts, you risk the chance of them breaking off. Broken head BOLTS or STUDS suck!...ARP have helped me sleep at night

Like TraderJack says: "To each his own"

 

I use grade 8 bolts in my motor and a sealer to stop them leaking around the thread. Alloy heads so 55lbs torque. theres a 4/71 on top of my motor and I'm not concerned that I need ARP studs or bolts. Only place I use ARP is in the mains caps.

 

Save your money, use stock or grade 8's w/sealer and O ring/chamfered washers and just spend a little time, a couple hours a year, to check on any leaks-retorque, etc.. These ARP and aftermarket parts will be good for hi-compression, blower driven, etc., but for an everyday flattie not worth the $$$$, IMHO.

 

Thanks everybody ! I basically agree with what most of you said but on the other side the ARP studs are kinda like a high quality tool.You buy it once and it lasts a lifetime.That was part of the idea behind buying those overkill studs.I also heard the ARP studs don't expand and you torque your heads once and once again after 100 miles and you're done.

 

Don't know anything about flatties but the ARP hardware wont let you down. I'm a firm believer in some overkill insurance in most cases.