The Ford Barn

Bored&Stroked · 04-14-2016, 05:07 PM

The big problem I have with ALL the black oxide fasteners is that they will rust - so what looks great today, looks like hell a year from now (ARPs, Allen heads, you name it). And I've tried the 'paint them' approach - slightly better, but the paint will chip and eventually has issues after multiple re-torques, etc..

I recently bought the extremely pricey set of ARP studs with the hardened stainless acorn-style nuts and washers . . . this setup really looks great, but it also was a lot of money. It is the best looking head fastener package I've ever used or created - nothing really better in my mind.

In the end, I guess everything costs money - just depends how much and where you want to spend it.

04-14-2016, 05:07 PM	#13
Bored&Stroked Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Central Ohio Posts: 5,723	Re: Cylinder Head Fastener Options The big problem I have with ALL the black oxide fasteners is that they will rust - so what looks great today, looks like hell a year from now (ARPs, Allen heads, you name it). And I've tried the 'paint them' approach - slightly better, but the paint will chip and eventually has issues after multiple re-torques, etc.. I recently bought the extremely pricey set of ARP studs with the hardened stainless acorn-style nuts and washers . . . this setup really looks great, but it also was a lot of money. It is the best looking head fastener package I've ever used or created - nothing really better in my mind. In the end, I guess everything costs money - just depends how much and where you want to spend it.