Well, I called ARP today. I bought studs for the existing 7/16-14 holes in the block.
Stupidly cheap, directly from ARP. They don't have a "kit", but the tech found bulk parts. The six along the intake trough cover will have .68" tall washers. Eh. Total cost around $80. Torque will be 75 ft/lbs (factory sez 60). I'll let you know about fit when they arrive, I have a clean dry block and head in the lab for testing.
As a bonus, 12-point nuts that take a 1/2" socket. This means you can actually get a socket on clear and straight on the one rear PITA stud.
And yes, you can get the head on and off with the motor in the car. I eyeballed it. The only thing even close is the heater box. Should clear, but worst case, I'll have to remove that.
My plan so far is: GOOD, CORRECT!, FLAT! block deck and head surfaces. A quality sealant, studs, one of those crappy composite headgaskets. That should be sufficient overkill for under $100. (For grins, I've asked about a custom copper gasket, but I assume it will be too pricey, even with those flat .004" O-rings instead of machine work.)
Remember that if you use fine nuts reduce the torque, since it's inverse to the pitch.
Hmm... good point! The APR tech said these studs want 75 ft/lbs to get them stretched. She also said that torque should be no problem for the block threads.
Certainly the stretch (from 75 ft/lbs) on 1" of 7/16-14 will not overstress the threaded hole. The head is tall and thick, so I doubt the increased force will cause the head to bow between bolts. The behavior of the headgasket is the question.
Unlike racers, I'm not trying to prevent leaks from high cylinder pressures, but from shifting, stretching, whatever happens, from age.
Hell, the problems might simply be from re-using old head bolts. To be honest I never really considered that before. Not much is available for this motor so it could be all the bolts are crap.
