I will be chasing and cleaning the threads in the head. And just to clarify...

1. What do I torque the studs to? Or are these ones that just need to be hand tightened?

2. Which 'stuff' do I use on them: I've read Blue Loctite and Red Loctite. High temp? And is this thread lock or thread sealer?

Want to make sure I do this right. Thanks.

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J.R.
Tucson, AZ
'68 Dart 270 with a '76-'80 engine

Each person has a different take on how to do this.

The outer/end two studs (hold the exhaust manifold), go through to the water jacket so you need to make sure that you put some RTV or sealant on the threads or you will have a coolant leak there (usually a slow drip or weep).

Since these are low torque fasteners on a clean head, I've never had a problem with chasing the threads, hand tightening the other studs down until they bottom out on the shoulder of the stud (if you are using studs that have the same measurements as the stock studs)....

Once you mount the manifold the torque on the nuts will put some locking force on the studs and threads to keep them in place if the threads are intact.

The only problem with loctite on the studs is getting a broken stud back out, in which case you will have to apply a torch to the head to burn the loctite away to extract it with a stud extractor or left hand twist drill...

-D.Idiot

There's some very helpful info in this link.

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I used blue loctite on all the studs, even water jacket holes. If everything is clean, loctite holds up very well, I use it on oil fittings and such it holds up well. Never s leak. And a small torch for a few seconds makes it easy to remove.

Thanks for the replies. Blue Loctite threadlocker it is, then. I was concerned with the exhaust manifold coming into direct and indirect contact with the studs and effecting the integrity of the the Loctite. The Loctite says it's good up to 300 degrees F. How hot does the exhaust manifold typically get on a super six?

I noticed there wasn't much of a consensus on which studs plug the water jackets, but I can confirm it's more than the end two my engine ('76-'80); this whole mess started when I accidentally backed out the bottom middle stud and it began leaking coolant. So, yeah, I was just going to a prep all thirteen.

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J.R.
Tucson, AZ
'68 Dart 270 with a '76-'80 engine

Exhaust gases can get in the 1000 deg.F range if you are leaned out too much...(note the nice red-orange manifood color!)...Generally if everything is in tune it'll be much less than that.

FYI,

-D.Idiot