Yep, there's supposed to be a stud there. Front and back (each end) exhaust bolt holes go into water jackets on small block heads. You can bend the dipstick tube up and back just a little to get clearance. Just hold it in the middle, and stick a 1/2 inch extension down into it a bit to bend it. You just need to make sure it bends above the bracket that bolts to the bellhousing.