EAGLE CRANK SNOUT O.D., Head Studs

[1987]

Has anyone ever had a problem with the crank snout being to large to fit the Crank gear on properly? I measured the Factory Crank snout and it was 1.370, The Eagle comes in at 1.382, Having a problem getting the crank gear over the snout. The new Crank gear measures 1.376, Hence the problem fitting over the eagle crank. Any Ideas? I was thinking about rolling some emory cloth around teh circumference and checking as i go.

Also, on head studs and getting them to seal in the block on the open holes to the water jacket, I would think that there will be a problem in most cases with leaking even with the sealer on the threads. The reason I think this is that the studs will not be torqued into the block as the head bolts are, thus there will be a little more clearance in a stud application vs. using a head bolt where you are actually loading the bolt and decreasing the clearance in between the actual threads. Is there a reason that you couldnt use some kind of thread locking compound on the thread of the head stud to seal it in better? I am just wondering why you wouldnt be able to do this- Do the studs have a mechanical reason for needing to be torqued in with the little end of an allen wrench? Seems like it would seal better the other way. Also, if you look at some of the chevy sites, it looks like some of the guys are using permatex number # 2 or even the 3M weather strip adhesive (Gorilla snot) < (not sure i agree with this) in the open to water holes, Anyone have any luck with this?

Sorry for all the questions, Just curious to see what all of you have to say.

Thanks.

 

[Reggie West]

Do not trust the tolerances on the Eagle crank. Its good steel but I highly recommend you take it to a very good machine shop and have them check all the journals for correct size and out of round issues.

I had to rebuild a motor because the crank was not checked and it was eating bearings after very few miles. Make sure to check rear main journal as well.

As far as studs go Ive had no water leak issues with them. The trick with studs is to make sure they are all the same length so they can be torqued equally across the head. Its all about the stretch of the fastener with studs. Measure the length of each stud coming out of the block and use the allen wrench to adjust as needed.

 

[Just a Six??]

Read this about head studs. Works everytime.
TurboBuicks.com - Head Studs That Don't Leak!

 

[LOT]

IMO, for head studs

Nothing beats RTV silicone sealant. Black sensor safe is what I use--Loctite or Permatex.
I used to use the Loctite NPT teflon compound, with fair success. That is a lubricant for pipe threads so they will engage deeper which makes for a better seal.

 

[1987]

i have heard the black silicone works pretty well. I looked up the article from turbobuicks.com, it says to use loctite 567, if i am not mistaken, that requires the use of an activator to get it to harden up. Just what i have found from doing a little research on the net.

On the crank, Yes, it was mic'd and checked against the journal and bearings when it was assembled for proper clearance. Just the snout is a little screwed up...

 

[TurboDave]

Use Loctite 567, and nothing else!!! No RTV!!
And No, 567 does not need and activator.
Read the link in post #3. Just about everybody I knnow that have run leak free studs (and bolts) succesfully use 567.

 

[1987]

567

does the 567 ever set up or does it just remain wet?

 

[forzfed]

does the 567 ever set up or does it just remain wet?

Should dry, the bolts that I had them on have dried.

 

[LOT]

You're an expert ???

Use Loctite 567, and nothing else!!! No RTV!!
And No, 567 does not need and activator.
Read the link in post #3. Just about everybody I knnow that have run leak free studs (and bolts) succesfully use 567.

And just how many engines have you assembled ?
Yes, the heat makes the teflon gets hard--RTV sealant doesn't--that's why it is better.

 

[LOT]

You're an expert ???

Use Loctite 567, and nothing else!!! No RTV!!
And No, 567 does not need and activator.
Read the link in post #3. Just about everybody I knnow that have run leak free studs (and bolts) succesfully use 567.

And just how many engines have you assembled ? This coming from the same person who says heads don't lift !!!
Yes, the heat makes the teflon gets hard--RTV sealant doesn't--that's why it is better.

 

[1987]

thread sealer

The reason im concerned is because I know you have to torque cycle new studs, when you do this, i am sure that you will back out the finger- tight head studs, This is probably not a good thing and it seems that if they do back out a little, then it may leak. Should i put the studs in dry, torque cycle them 5 times, then pull the heads back off and correctly assemble the top end?

I dont want to do this again, especially once the motor is in the car. I have had heads blow gaskets in other cars with studs, not buicks, and it was still a pain in the a#s to get apart and back together without lifting the motor off the mounts and twisting the motor over one side at a time, dont want to have to do this...


thanks all for the help.

 

[turbodave231]

In my opinion, Lee is 100% on target with RTV.

I've assembled many engines both ways and I've had water leak issues after using the Loctite thread sealer. Never had any problems after I switched to RTV.

Just my opinion. Maybe the "Experts" know better.

Dave

 

[TurboDave]

OK, I never really professed to be an expert in this field. I know I haven't assembled hundreds of engines as you guys have, just a few. But on those few, 567 hasn't let me down. Could be any one of a number of reasons why there are different experiences between the two, I don't know. Maybe it's because the few I've done were "head bolted" engines and not "head studded" engines.

The reason I am suspect of RTV as a sealant in this particular type application is only because I see it as a silicone based sealant, and as such, once set up, any twisting or turning of the fastener should break the seal.

I certainly have now scientific data to back up my preferences,
so I'll surrender to the experts in this field and stick to the areas I do know.

Thanks guys.

 

[Mike Licht]

for studs I use RTV for bolts I use teflon paste

 

[Just a Six??]

Ask 20 engine builders & get 20 different answers. Locktite 567 on studs has worked on 6 engines for me. So I use it. Use what you feel comfortable with!
GM has there stuff, Ford has their stuff, Ferrari has their stuff etc etc etc. It's all similar.

 

[hemi8]

567 works perfectly for the few I have built, I would not use anything else.
Mike

 

[turbodave231]

I agree 100% with Mike, on head bolts, I always use Teflon thread sealer, on studs....RTV seems to work the best.

Dave