Fitting headers on Alice

[Cameron Mahoney]

Young dumb and broke is the name . Wanted headers, put headers on. Had trouble getting steering back in but I wanted to hear it run so we got it running, apparently something went wrong installing the new head gaskets and I'm out fresh coolant, fresh gaskets and I may as well get new head bolts, (re used stock low miles ones, bad idea ik but my friend said send it) long story short she has to come back apart again to get this sorted ontop of the full restoration ahead that she needs, this is definitely going to be a long project and I'm learning as I go. Any tips on how to get everything back together with headers and or pictures would be appreciated as well. car is 87 fifth avenue btw

 

[Duke5A]

What else is done to the car? Did you drill and tap the air injection holes in the heads? What happened where you think the heads need to come back off?

I don't think the bolts are the stretch kind, so you should be able to reuse them.

Headers sound nice, but you really don't need them until you're beyond 300HP. Lots of other things to do with the factory manifolds.

 

[BudW]

It is rare for a LA engine head bolt to stretch or otherwise go bad.
Now a warped cylinder head and/or a blown head gasket can loosen a head bolt(s) for overheating can distort cast iron - but even then, I don't think I've ran across a bad or a non-reusable LA head bolt (and I have worked with close to a thousand different LA head bolts).

What @Duke5A said, about drill, tap and plug the eight A.I.R. injection holes is very important step.
BudW

 

[Aspen500]

While the head bolts aren't torque to yield like they all are now now, it's still a good idea to replace them just to be sure. That might be my auto tech brain talking also, lol. I figure it's relatively cheap insurance. Depending on budget, I highly recommend ARP bolts ($82). That way you have a known quality vs parts store bolts which are unknown and cost close to the same amount.

DODGE ARP 144-3602 ARP High Performance Series Cylinder Head Bolt Kits | Summit Racing

 

[BudW]

I would agree with @Aspen500.
New head bolts are cheap insurance - especially if the bolts have been removed and exposed to the elements for any length of time.

On same note, cheap Chinese bolts are not worth the money.

 

[Aspen500]

I would agree with @Aspen500.
New head bolts are cheap insurance - especially if the bolts have been removed and exposed to the elements for any length of time.

On same note, cheap Chinese bolts are not worth the money.

That's what I meant, without mentioning the country. Did a quick check and, standard unknown quality bolts are around $50-60/set. ARP is only $20-30 more and worth every dollar.

 

[Duke5A]

Have to disagree. It sounds like the guy is broke if his original post is accurate. Nothing wrong with reusing non TTY bolts in a motor that is lucky to have 9:1.

 

[M_Body_Coupe]

I would agree with Duke5A on this, and early on (when there was even less extra cash to spend on my toys) I had re-used factory bolts multiple times without any problems.

Now, I will say this: an upgrade here is a good investment. So if the funds are available that's money well spend for a peace of mind.

Heck, I've moved on to ARP hardware all around, but I still have the MP P4120471 (Mopar Performance Head Bolt Set - P4120471) set here, used once...toss me an offer if you're interested.

 

[LSM360]

As Duke5A asked, what did you do with air injection holes and doesn't a pipe come off the converter? I've forgotten the exact setup.

 

[AJ/FormS]

Don't forget;
the end studs, in the heads, on the exhaust manifold flanges, ...... go directly into the water jackets. So if you pull them with coolant in the engine, it will run out; surprise! If you use bolts in those locations, system pressure may/will force coolant out around unsealed threads.

 

[Oldiron440]

Young dumb and broke is the name . Wanted headers, put headers on. Had trouble getting steering back in but I wanted to hear it run so we got it running, apparently something went wrong installing the new head gaskets and I'm out fresh coolant, fresh gaskets and I may as well get new head bolts, (re used stock low miles ones, bad idea ik but my friend said send it) long story short she has to come back apart again to get this sorted ontop of the full restoration ahead that she needs, this is definitely going to be a long project and I'm learning as I go. Any tips on how to get everything back together with headers and or pictures would be appreciated as well. car is 87 fifth avenue btw

There should be no reason to replace head bolts as long as you don't have physical damage to them. That is bad threads or damage under the head.
There have be many tests on used OEM head bolts showing there as good as new. I've used them on my race motors over and over without a failure and one is a 500 inch 440 with 12.5 to 1 compression.
The last refresh on this particular engine I did upgrade to ARP head and mains because it was the forth time in thirty years I'd had it apart for maintenance. As long as the bolts aren't torque to yield replacement with a new bolt on a stocker is a waste of money...

I would however run a tap down all the holes and make sure the block is correct.

Good luck

 

[Oldiron440]

Young dumb and broke is the name . Wanted headers, put headers on. Had trouble getting steering back in but I wanted to hear it run so we got it running, apparently something went wrong installing the new head gaskets and I'm out fresh coolant, fresh gaskets and I may as well get new head bolts, (re used stock low miles ones, bad idea ik but my friend said send it) long story short she has to come back apart again to get this sorted ontop of the full restoration ahead that she needs, this is definitely going to be a long project and I'm learning as I go. Any tips on how to get everything back together with headers and or pictures would be appreciated as well. car is 87 fifth avenue btw

There should be no reason to replace head bolts as long as you don't have physical damage to them. That is bad threads or damage under the head.
There have be many tests on used OEM head bolts showing there as good as new. I've used them on my race motors over and over without a failure and one is a 500 inch 440 with 12.5 to 1 compression.
The last refresh on this particular engine I did upgrade to ARP head and mains because it was the forth time in thirty years I'd had it apart for maintenance. As long as the bolts aren't torque to yield replacement with a new bolt on a stocker is a waste of money...

 

[Oldiron440]

I would however tap the head and mains to make sure the block is correct.

 

[Duke5A]

I would however tap the head and mains to make sure the block is correct.

I never used to do this and it bit me in the ass last year doing an intake swap. Live and learn.

 

[Aspen500]

Have to disagree. It sounds like the guy is broke if his original post is accurate. Nothing wrong with reusing non TTY bolts in a motor that is lucky to have 9:1.

Sorry, I missed that part and even though it was a long time ago, I remember all too well being young, dumb and broke.