SM Head Install... forgetting anything?

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@74Scooter just a 30 over 340, hooker headers 2.5in exhaust, xe268h camshaft, 750 holley carb, air gap, 3.23 gears w/ sure grip, 904 trans w/ shift kit and 2500 stall rebuilt stock torque converter. Now w/ the CNC SM heads. Pretty basic build. Been trying to get my hands on other things but Im cheap and poor lol.
 
I also find the ARP bolt design stupid. I have run both. Not much there, easy to round off. I would swap over to studs just for that reason alone. What head gasket?
 
Oh, when trying to get the right belt. I learned the parts numbers help. Say the number on your current belt is 15485. The 15 is the width the 485 is 48 1/2” long. Sometimes they swap the numbers 48515. There is no 48 width. So you know its 15 wide and 48 1/2”. Helped I could search by part number online increasing the length 1/2” at a time. Then just walk in with a part number. You may need a longer belt for the alternator.
 
@furrystump no one had head studs when I ordered these. As for gaskets, it's a felpro blue gasket 1008, compressed height is .53. This is the same part number gasket we put on the car 2 years ago. It worked the past 2 years, so KISS
 
I torque that gasket and let it set over night. Then go back and in sequence back them off 1/4 turn and retorque. Sucks with the ARP bolt heads, I know, but I had issues with it pushing the fire ring of the gasket towards the valley if I didn’t do it. This was at 10 to 1. You’ll notice they turn a bit.
 
I’ve used the gasket that he used successfully at 11.5-1 and probably higher but I use studs. To me torquing nuts with NF threads beats torquing a bolt with NC threads any day of the week. If it was on a street type build I would use studs with a place to remove them with an Allen socket just in case I had to remove the studs to pull a head.
 
DentalDart said:
@74Scooter just a 30 over 340, hooker headers 2.5in exhaust, xe268h camshaft, 750 holley carb, air gap, 3.23 gears w/ sure grip, 904 trans w/ shift kit and 2500 stall rebuilt stock torque converter. Now w/ the CNC SM heads. Pretty basic build. Been trying to get my hands on other things but Im cheap and poor lol.
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Work with what ya got and what you can afford ain't new to anyone with this hobby who is not independently wealthy...lol. Trying to not go off the deep end when I put the Promaxx heads on my 360.... I'd like to still be married at the end of the day too.

Your build is very similar to my 360LA, .030 over, TTI shorty's, 268H cam, Weiand Action Plus intake(will be installing Air Gap), 625 Demon carb, 727 stock stall and 2.76 open rear.. it's a cruiser. I ordered 63cc heads and will likely use a thinner head gasket to bump the compression from the stock 8.x to 9.x because why not as long as I'm in there. I also picked up a set of Mancini's Harland Sharp 1.6 ratio roller rockers which should increase the valve lift to approx .480 intake and exhaust... nothing radical.

Keep us update on your progress, lots of useful info in this thread.
 
DentalDart said:
@aaronk785 Ive never lived in commifornia, originally from Las Vegas. I love Missouri and doubt we ever go back to the West Coast besides to visit.
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Just moved from "commiefornia" to Reno last year.

Nearly everyone here asks... I say I moved from CA to get away from the crazy... not to bring it with me... lol.

I lived just outside KC MO (Raytown)for nearly 3 years in the 80's. Long winters and high humidity summers were just too much for me.
 
Ok I got a question! I got new 12pt header bolts, with the ability to use an alan wrench in the center as well... what kind of wrench do you use on a 12pt bolt? I can't get a socket or a regular wrench on the 2 outer bolts with the hooker headers... any tips?

Screenshot_20220306-161627_Samsung Internet.jpg
 
A hex socket set? A socket literally will not fit in the spot where the header bolts go lol.
 
DentalDart said:
Ok I got a question! I got new 12pt header bolts, with the ability to use an alan wrench in the center as well... what kind of wrench do you use on a 12pt bolt? I can't get a socket or a regular wrench on the 2 outer bolts with the hooker headers... any tips?

View attachment 1715885834
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A picture would help but I had a small off-set (app 4 inches) 12 point box end wrench that worked great on header bolts. Show us a picture and if needed I’ll show you a picture of my wrench tomorrow. Sometimes you have to buy a wrench and grind it to fit. Then keep it for that job.
 
Oh that closed in wrench wont fit, I had to use an open end wrench with the old header bolts. I'll snap a picture of the interference with the headers and bolts in a bit when I get home from work
 
I've seen those bolts with the allen socket in them before... but the allen sockets seems to small for the amount of torque you need to apply to an exhaust bolt. You end up with a twisted allen socket usually.
 
^^^ Those look similar to the Hooker Super Comps the previous owner of my car put on my 360LA. Same impossible to get a socket or wrench on bolts. I did not even try to get em out gently...

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I'd recommend for those hard to get to bolts go buy a cheapo 12pt box and and cut about 1/4 of the circle out of the top. That should allow you to get onto and tighten those... albeit 1/16 of a turn at a time.

GL!
 
^^^ Even with a 6 point bolt... those are a bugger to get to. This is from the autopsy as I cut the Hookers off the heads..
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Well, I am glad you all agree that I am not crazy and that these things suck haha. I have a couple of 6pt 5/16 bolts that I got from the hardware store, and I have some of the old header bolts as well. I'll see what kind of megiever **** I can come up with. I just need to stop being lazy and get the thing put back together.
 
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