360 head bolts.

[dukeboy440]

So my 360 was rebuilt in 1988, not sure but assuming that they reused the factory head bolts, would it be safe to reuse them again or should I just eat the bullet and buy new ones?

Low comp, basically a notch above stock 360 truck engine

 

[CRUZE 418]

They might be fine, but I always toss head, main and rod bolts for ARP.

 

[Dan the man]

In my opinion I would replace them not just because of their age but going from cold to hot and then back to cold again. I've always considered replacing bolts on a engine cheap insurance. A bolt failure can be quite expensive.

 

[Newbomb Turk]

So my 360 was rebuilt in 1988, not sure but assuming that they reused the factory head bolts, would it be safe to reuse them again or should I just eat the bullet and buy new ones?

Low comp, basically a notch above stock 360 truck engine

HELL YES. Chrysler didn’t use cheap *** bolts like the others (with the exception of the 385 Fords…those mothers have 9/16 super duty bolts) and you can reuse them. Multiple times.


EDIT: if you are getting a bad feeling in your gut about the bolts I wouldn’t spend a nickel on new bolts. I would use studs and never think twice.

 

[dukeboy440]

They might be fine, but I always toss head, main and rod bolts for ARP.

Wasn’t really gonna go that deep into it. Engine was running just fine and has maybe 1200 miles on it since its rebuild. It just has been sitting for a long time and I pulled the pan and heads to see if it needed any work, it doesn’t. It’s been sealed up pretty well and sitting inside for most of that time. I may throw head studs in it though since it’s apart.

 

[cudamark]

I've never had a problem with stock head bolts on a mild engine. On your build, I wouldn't worry a bit as long as they aren't rusty/pitted. High performance is a different story. Then I'd go with ARP stuff.

 

[krazykuda]

Go ahead and reuse them...