Head bolts

[daveymc29]

I was told that the head is a 5.2 from H&H, as is the engine.Looks a lot like the police heads with the big B on them that I have in my roadster and my coupe. Both of those came from private parties. I can't say who made them. Both are working well for me with the coupe having 94 psi in each cylinder. The roadster not so much, About 70 psi as I recall. Lower than the block I know nothing about anyway. The coupe had the police head on it when I purchased it.

[Paul Bennett]

Good thread (no pun intended) in our sister journal.

Don't torque dry threads and don't oil threads leaves one with > tada > antisieze.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/a...p/t-72963.html

[H. L. Chauvin]

In my humble opinion:

If a law was ever passed that every time an experienced Model A owner broke a head bolt, (or any other Model A bolt), that did "not" have "Anti-Seize" on it ....... that the guy who installed these Model A bolts without "Anti-Seize" would by law ...... have to visit this experienced Model A person, (in person) ........ and that without any doubt ...... both the "U. S. Assault and Battery Rates" .... and the "U.S. Murder Rates" could increase tremendously in all (50) States.

[CT Jack]

If you cannot determine or are super concerned about the uniform flatness of the engine block surface known as the deck remove the engine and have your machinist deck it. This will eliminate all the the unknown and dumb things performed in the past. A good fitting quality head gasket should be able to compress under load and absorb +/- .0025 amounts of surface variations. I wouldn't take any chances especially since you are raising the compression ratio. This would also be a good time to redo the valves if they need regrinding or hardened seats.
Remember torquing and retorquing many times is is very critical. I would add a ceramic additive sealer to clean distilled water in cooling system and cycle the coolant according to directions. This will aid in sealing very small cracks and gaps within the cooling passages. Yes, Model A engine castings have many small cracks.

[Charlie Stephens]

Originally Posted by daveymc29

We this didn't quite turn out as expected by me. We put the car together and it ran sluggish. Shorted out number one, not a lot of difference, shorted out the others, obvious difference. Did another compression check, 30, 70,90 and 90 PSI front to back. This is a rebuild with 1000 miles on it by a so. ca. builder. So I guess it will have to go there for another check up. Thanks for all the help and suggestions, we followed all good practice for the average shade tree mechanic. Now it's the big boys turn. The block was back once for a repair in number two, perhaps number one is jealous.

When this is all over tell us who the builder was (I live in Southern California) and if you are happy with the resolution.

Charlie Stephens

[daveymc29]

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Mikeinnj, The head was installed by H&H and the recipient doesn't hear any better than I do. May be 5.5 I understood, perhaps incorrectly, that the Police head with the large "B: cast into it was a 5.2. His head looks like my Police head, still it may be 5.5. The H&H folks didn't provide him with anything in writing about his engine build, everything was verbal and he is deaf as a brick, so we don't really know what was done or said about it.

[Mikeinnj]

Originally Posted by daveymc29

Studs it is of course. Careless wording. Got the head back today and had a long chat with the machinist. Head is well made, his measurements from the straight edge to the spark plug bosses were only a thousand or so apart from each other. Same for depth of cut above the cylinders, So he then became suspicious of the cleaning method that had been used to knock the carbon off last time. Where the gasket sealing rings meet the head had been tapered into the cylinder about .007 all around and he speculates the last mechanic used a rotary sanding disc to get rid of the carbon buildup. So those sealing rings were pinched hard on the side away from the combustion chamber but had .007 extra clearance at the edge where the combustion takes place. Not what Martha Stewart recommends, I'm guessing. So now I'm playing with several gaskets trying to find one where when installed doesn't protrude into the combustion Chamber. Can one remove material from the seal ring to keep it out of the combustion chamber? I have never done that, but then I never had that problem before. This is a 5.2 head as sold by several of the vendors. I'm waiting on a Best 509 Gasket to see if it may have better fitment. The combustion chamber has a slight heart shape to it around the valves and the gaskets I have are all straight on the outside of the valves. Toward the intake/ exhaust side of the block. Any more thoughts?

Vendors are only offering the 5.5 head, it sounds like you may have an original "Police Head" http://www.fordgarage.com/pages/head...ssionratio.htm

[Dodge]

The Best gaskets 573 is a better fit for the higher compression head. I always use the 573G
Graphite one sprayed with copper coat. In the old days the trick was to coat the studs with milk of magneasa before all the anti seize stuff was around.
May be Fel Pro doesn't recommend anti seize on head bolts where the torque is on the coarse threads effecting the torque applied.
I have always used antiseize on head studs on the coarse side and on the stud shaft to aid in cuter removal. Use oil in the fine threads to correctly torque the head bolts. Using antiseize or ARP moly will over torque the head it cuts down the friction and over stretches the studs.

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by daveymc29

I was told that the head is a 5.2 from H&H, as is the engine.

Sounds exactly like the engine that was in my pickup when I bought it. If I had it to do over again, I would trash the engine and start over with a good one from another reputable source.

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by Dodge

The Best gaskets 573 is a better fit for the higher compression head. I always use the 573G

I find no difference in the fit of the Best Gaskets 509G and the 573G. The only difference I see is that the 573G has two extra holes between #2 and #3 cylinder, which have no purpose on the "A" engine.

If the surfaces are flat The Secretes of Speed Society recommends using no sealant on Best Graphtite Gaskets.

[frmhrt]

Can one use Permatex Ultra Blue on the cylinder head bolts as "anti-seize/sealant

What happens to the anti-seize/sealant when the bolts are re-torqued 3 times after running the engine? Is it rendered ineffective as a sealant?
thx
alan

[Purdy Swoft]

I only use antiseize compound on the coarse threads on the studs that enter the block . The head nuts need some friction to reach final torque without stripping the threads .

[Railcarmover]

Torque values are used to stretch as fastener to hold it in tension without a locking fastener or compound.Its important to check the tapped holes in the deck,grey iron doesn't have the elasticity the stud has. Anti-seize is effective,Im leaning toward using a 'releasing' anerobic sealant (loctite blue threadlocker) on the coarse threads,it will help support the weakness of the tapped grey iron,I plan on running grade 8 studs and a 6 to 1 head raising the torque value to 65 pounds to properly stretch the harder stud. That's a whole lot of pull on the grey iron..figure the blue loctite will provide support yet release the stud on removal..

[chap52]

Listen to what Richard Faluka (sp?) from Antique Engine Rebuilders says about the process they use for head stud replacement. They don't fully seat the studs in the block.... The video is long, but well worth a listen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5kDrtTJGsU