Anyone ever use Stainless ARP head bolts? Are the the same specs as reg steel? Down here were wood will rust my exposed unpainted head bolts look like crap
Thanks
Dan

Why not just prime and paint the heads that are exposed?

BT

Yea, normal stainless steel bolts are junk and even the 400 series will not have the same propertys. SS head bolts!! Never on any engine I would run. Maybe they sell them for show cars that are never used.

No way.

Performance bolts/studs are made to be strong and have a specific stretch built into them that does not creep over time.

Stainless bolts are made to not stain. Even superior grades of stainless bolts are a compromise and not suitable for performance usage in head fasteners or rod bolts or main caps. Feel free to use stainless on your water neck, intake manifold, waterpump, valve covers, and pulleys. Use the good stuff on the other parts (and exhaust manifolds need gooduns too).

If there really are arp SS head bolts, I suspect they are flash coated with chromium/molybium or nickel and are actually high tensile base material.

BT

I have a set that came on a used Gen 5 454 ,the bolts are 12 point ARP and all that I can say is that the heads gaskets were not blown when I disasembled the engine.I have used ARP carbon steel studs and the end that is exposed to the water jacket corroded severely just from good old Lake Erie.

Rob