I was told that I can remove the studs from the heads by stacking washers or slipping a small tube over the stud, then tightening down a nut until it forces itself out. Is this cool then?

What size tap would I need to make these screw-in studs? Then, which size studs would I buy?

 

yeah that'll work. i'd buy some nuts instead of using the rocker nuts, after a few studs they tend to gall up. you'd want a tap to match the replacement stud , most likely it'd be 7/16-14 for the head. as for the rocker stud size you'd want it to match the hole in your rocker , either 3/8 or 7/16

 

Also, you will need to have the rocker stud bosses milled down. The screwin studs are set up for guideplates and I believe you have to mill for the thickness of the plates.Otherwise the rocker studs wind up too high.

 

.4 is what i mill off, that's just a hair more than the thickness of the guide plates

 

If your a garage tech then dig through the old GM 6cyl compressor (a/c) clutch removal tool. That's the same thread size and you can use the bearing as well. Drop a socket over the stud, place the bearing on it, then screw on the puller. It comes right out.
3/8 thread that is.

 

you mean trim off some of the thread that screws into the head?

these are for my Vortecs btw- 3/8 inch right? or are they 7/16?

 

rocker stud should be 3/8 the thread size for the head would be 7/16-14. no you need to mill the boss the stud screws into

 

with what?

 

i use a vertical mill

 

how about a cordless drill?

 

well yeah there isn't much differance between a drill and a vertical mill. there are some DIY tools to do it with, but i never liked them or had much luck with them.

 

I would just let a machine shop do the milling and tapping. If you pull the studs out yourself it shouldn't be expensive. $30-$50. Better to pay someone with the proper equipment now, than do it yourself and find out later you didn't mill it properly or tapped the threads at and angle.

 

It could be done in your garage using a cordless drill, but...... I've seen guys do that and the studs look like a fence row because they're so screwed up. I would say that at the very least you need a decent drill press to both cut the boss down and then to at least start the tap straight. Myself, I would take it to a machine shop.

 

The EASIEST way to remove the studs is to mill them off when milling the bosses down(3/8"), and then PRESS them OUT throught the intake ports and water jackets. This is what I was taught, And I have Personally done it to a set of 083 heads that I am slowly porting.
I cut them off with a die grinder. When I went to press them out, the studs that go into the intake ports were too long to fall out. Sooo, I had to drill some of them out a little until they were short enough to just fall out.
If you mill the 3/8" off of the stud boss before you press them out, you will have no problem pressing them out.
I am AMAZED that most people that do this sort of thing dont know this little trick. Its SO EASY!

 

Ummmm...... too much cam and not enough valve spring? That would do it.

Seriously, you could screw up a good set of heads by trying to half-*** it. I'd strongly recommend taking it to somebody that can do it right. What they'll have to do, is to chuck the heads up in a mill, and mill the top of the guide bosses off roughly .375" or so (the exact amount depends on casting accuracy.... it's more accurate to cut them to a specific height above the deck, the exact number I can't recall) which must be done as near as possible to perfectly perpendicular to the stud holes.

You can pull the garbage pull-out ones yourself though; a bunch of EP grease of some sort, a good Grade 8 nut (or more likely a couple of them), some used rocker *****, a bowl of Wheaties, and you've got it made. You can save yourself probably $25 or so off of the machine shop bill by doing that much yourself.