Head bolt warning!
 

So I picked up my short block from the machine shop. Everything looked great with no surprises as far as the block went. (a few banged up guides and seats but no big deal). I put the starboard head on and torqued without issue. Moved over to the port, went to 50lbs then to 75 and on the 6th bolt in sequence it pulled out of the block. WTF. Went to the 7th and the same thing. Pulled the bolts and inspected and saw some ware on the bottom threads but didn't look to bad. Put in to Heli Coil's, start all over again and pull a third bolt out of the block. I pulled the head off. Inspect and install a 3rd heli coil (I set all 3 with jb weld slow cure). I look at the head bolts again, pull out an old "STOCK" head bolt from my tool box and see like 3 to 4 threads missing from the new ARP bolts I installed last season. I installed a new set of bolts (on both heads)to keep the project moving but next year I going to Stainless Steel. I got lucky on the starboard side with the bolts holding.
I have a call in to ARP but no call back yet. The boat sits on a trailer and I flush it once or twice a month. The old head blots from the original 454 that were over 20 YEARS OLD looked better the the ARP! Just thought I'd share this info and I am curious if anyone has seen this using ARP stuff. I know their product is American made and I have used them in my race car days but I think the steel from china they are using is lousy!
P.S. The water I boat in is fresh/ brackish Upper Chesapeake Bay

I would check to make sure you don't have a bad ground sending stray current through the engine. This could make your water jackets act just like a battery and rapidly corrode the bolt threads. This is a particularly big problem with salt water involved.

or you ordered the incorrect set of head bolts,,several differant numbers for a big block..

I did a bunch of work on some old 454 Cruesaders last year and Roger Munn warned me to go easy on the head torque, I was thinking 70 to 80 lbs, and he said go 60 to 65 tops . He told me watch it or I would be re threading a bunch. I followed his advice on the old Dogs and never had a problem. Just my 2 cents

even though you spend $$$$ for quality parts, sometimes you still get chinese junk...not say for sure thats what happened here...but just the other day, changed all the lug nuts on my X275 car, weld wheels, paid more than twice $$$ than the summit brand to get the nice thick chrome washers(already had the weld nuts) so get 4 sets, open and now get cheap thin B/S washers(reused the old ones) and on the back of the weld package...made in china !!!! WTF...also found that MSD uses some cheap chinese magnetic pickups that like to fail all the time...so you never know what you $$$ buys you anymore...Rob

Ayuh,.... SSteel makes Lousy headbolts,...

SSteel is Waayyy too soft,....

I run ARPS and haven't had any issues yet. But everytime I do a top end rebuild I always run new bolts. Just in case. For several reasons. Corrode, stretch etc....

Stainless steel is brittle not soft!

I agree that using stainless for anything other than cosmetics or corrosion resistance is a bad idea.

+1..yep and are rated to somthing like 190,000 psi..

Remember, one of the big problems folks are running into is fake (generally Chinese) parts packaged and sold as some of the top brands in the country. Some of the fakes are laughable with mis-spelled words on the packages. Some are almost indistinguishable from the real thing. It used to be bad enough that one could buy Chinese junk labeled as Chinese junk. Now they're getting sneaky.

So you may have thought you bought real ARP head bolts, but got junk instead. The folks at ARP will be able to tell you.

Get the easy to take out Merc Blue Block drain plug set-up and drain your water when put back on the trailer/lift/etc. Makes even aluminum heads last longer. I suppose even better to drain when engine + water still hot.

Yep, I also learned the hard way about re-using head bolts. Had a set of ARP's in my 454 that I tried to re-use. They had been in the motor for several years, but looked fine - no corrosion on the threads. Ended up snapping one when torquing them down.

Would you suggest doing that even in fresh water?

I this the original 20 year old block? My buddy had an issue with a thin deck from salt use after a dozen years. The deck itself had corroded to the point of only supporting a few threads. He was religious about fluk.shing / saltaway, etc. Something to look at if its your original 454 bloc

I do it with non anodized aluminum heads and/or intakes. I am on a drinking water (that fresh !) lake and you'd be amazed how non treated aluminum get's eatin'.

I've just owned single engine boats so real easy to drain the blocks. 2 plastic o-ringed wing nuts that are installed finger tight and wallah.

All Cast iron engines live forever here. You have to freeze them to break them.

#5 + #6 in pic below:
Link here, which you can get any Merc dealer of course:
http://www.mercruiserparts.com/Show_...K+AND+CAMSHAFT

Make sure to get a few extra of the #6 plastic wingnuts. Since plastic easy to brake especially if over tightened. Again, oring seal, so you don't tighten down hard at all. Don't remove and tip down, oring may fall off.

Simple !

http://www.mercruiserparts.com/images/COMMON/37900.png

I have seen the ARP head bolts and studs, corrode in the cast iron block, especially with non blind bolt holes. I think; they corrode just due to the simple fact; dissimilar metals. Pulling the threads is not uncommon in a block that has open holes to water jackets. I have seen ; someone else strip out the threads in a new Dart block. How they did it ;I have no idea.
Even if you boat in fresh water, upper Chesapeake, brackish water I would still flush my engines with a neutralizer (salt away). The mineral content, in fresh water will cause issues also.

even if useing new top quality bolts the threads in the old blocks can strip out.every time a bolt is torqued in the open holes the threads get a little weaker.the decks on the older blocks were not real thick to begin with and if resurfaced several times through the years it sure does not help the situation.the main reason racers use studs instead if bolts is the studs stay in the block and the threading is done with the nut.

i usually run a tap through the holes first and se how they clean up..it i see any threads missing i will install a keysert..they seem to work the best... http://www.rivetsonline.com/thread-r...keenserts.html