Stud Installation Secret
We all know head studs and main studs give better clamping force for our fasteners. Did you know that bottoming out the stud is a bad thing and the stud should never hit the bottom of the hole? Studs should never be torqued into place and should only be snugged down. When bottoming the stud, you can and will mushroom the bottom of the stud. You can prevent this by placing a small ball bearing in the bottom of the threaded bore. User beware though, when removing the stud the small ball bearing can go into other places in the engine. Once studs have been installed we always hope there is no other reason to remove heads or mains unless we are upgrading to more power. Your normal consumer may not know to keep a look out for small bearings if used, so always make notes to your buyer. Many engine builders already make it a habit to look for things like this among other small tricks to make building easier.
Roy A. Maloney
Engine & Performance Warehouse
Houston, TX
December, 2014
