I have to replace the head gasket on my Alpine and don't want to reuse the 45
year old head bolts that are there now. (Re-using 45 year old bolts when I
rebuilt the engine is probably the reason I need to replace the gasket now.)
New Alpine bolts are currently available, but studs are not and I would like
to keep the stock configuration (8 bolts + 2 studs) if I can; the studs are
very handy for lifting the engine. ARP used to make them, but they have not
been available for years. I doubt my engine justifies the added strength of
ARP bolts anyway; it is a lot stronger than stock, but hardly a race engine.
I and other Alpine owners have looked for generic bolts/studs but without
success, so I thought I'd turn to this group to see if anyone knows of a
source or a different car that used bolts of very similar sizes. The stock
bolts and studs are 3/8" with 24 pitch thread all around. I measured a spare
set of bolts and -- rounding down assuming they have stretched a bit over the
years -- I think the bolts should be 4 3/8" with 5/8" of thread, while the
studs should be 5 1/4" with 1 1/4" thread on one side and 5/8" on the other.
(Note: I have been told that studs are available that have 18 pitch threads on
one side; I don't want to go that route and have different torque specs for
the bolts and the studs.) Technically, I only need to find a source for the
studs, but would like to avoid mixing different brands.
As always, thanks in advance!
Jim
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