What are the pro's and con's of each, and at what point should I consider using studs over bolts. SBC, 10.7:1, Aluminum heads, Iron block, .630 SR, in a mostly drag strip car with little street use.

 

i'd use them with aluminum block, compression over 12:1, or blown engines. on a thirdgen you have to consider the need to remove a head in the car with studs. you may not have enough clearance around the booster and master cylinder.

 

you cant remove the heads with the motor in the car if you use studs..

 

That's not the case in my '86 F-bird, running ARP head studs and the head clears the vacuum booster no problem.

They're great if you end up tearing down the top end often. I had a hard time sealing the coolant passages, be warned! They aren't a tight fit like a head bolt, so the clearances are loose and prone to leaking coolant. The machinist that did my heads says he has trouble sealing them too.

The money is probably better spent on main studs, that's where I would put it in the next engine.

They're great to work with though aside from the sealing problems.

 

Studs exert a more consistent clamping force, which is good for higher cylinder pressures, i.e. forced induction. Most other apps, i use bolts like ARP

 

Cant get them off because of the booster and such? There are bolts to take off the booster as well, I know that would mean more work. But its not like the end of the world or something.

 

 

I would definetly use head studs if you're running a factory 400 block. The vent holes in the deck are very close to the threaded head bolt area and are prone to cracking in this area. The beauty of studs is they pull evenly between the head and the deck when clamped down where bolts mainly pull on the deck. If you use threaded deck stiffeners and studs, you've done much to strengthen your deck surface.

If you have a factory four bolt main motor, I would use studs on the mains too. Particularly if it is a 4 bolt 400.