bolt material for valve covers

ttocs

Post Whore
Joined
Oct 9, 2009
Messages
32,394
Reaction score
5,560
Location
Evansville Indiana
I am wanting to go with a nice set of studs for my valve covers and noticed there are a few options there from stainless to nitride coated, ect. What is best if they are going into aluminum heads and do I need anti-gall or what ever that stuff is called?
 

kb1982

Active Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2013
Messages
591
Reaction score
4
Location
Kentucky
Use antisieze on everything that goes into aluminum. Cheap insurance to protect the threads. Pick whatever you think looks best, as the bolts are a low torque.. To much and it just bends the rails on the valve covers and squishes out gaskets, especially if using cork.
 

Orange 94

Post Whore
SN95 Supporter
Joined
Oct 21, 2012
Messages
10,855
Reaction score
399
Location
Alberta Canada
I don't think material matters too much.

But if you had to pick... Aluminum bolts to go into aluminum heads I'd say? No galvanic corrosion (contact of dissimilar metals), no stress caused by thermal expansion and you can get nice finishes from anodizing. I dunno, first thing that came to my mind.
 

Ineedav8

Active Member
Joined
Mar 1, 2013
Messages
647
Reaction score
1
Location
South Florida
It's gunna sound bad and the opposite direction your going but I grabbed a few extra valve cover bolts to eliminate the studs sticking up and scuffed them up popped then threw some cardboard and laid down a couple coats of hammered rustolem hammered silver

Sent from the future
 
OP
OP
ttocs

ttocs

Post Whore
Joined
Oct 9, 2009
Messages
32,394
Reaction score
5,560
Location
Evansville Indiana
I like the studs. Not worried about them scratching up the bottom of the valve covers or its lid. Just makes it easier to slap them on IMO.

Curious how do you use both the anti-seize and lock-tight? Not on the valve covers mind you but I was thinking more about the intake when I put it together hopefully shortly.
 

ProKiller

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 27, 2006
Messages
3,070
Reaction score
200
Location
PA
i used ARP studs in mine. black oxide 12-points
 
OP
OP
ttocs

ttocs

Post Whore
Joined
Oct 9, 2009
Messages
32,394
Reaction score
5,560
Location
Evansville Indiana
Yea they look cool I just always associated them with high torque areas normally. If I really just wanted to go for looks ARP makes a really beautiful polished stainless set of studs but I just can't justify $60 to hold down the valve covers. I still like the idea of stainless on the gloss black valve covers so I found a boss set for $14 that is on its way now.

So again now how do I apply anti-seize and locktight to get both to work? Does it matter how it goes on? As I think about it everything on top of the motor basically mounts to aluminum.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
77,440
Messages
1,502,165
Members
14,920
Latest member
marktuck99

Members online

Top