Ok I picked up some ARP Head studs from ZZP and the intructions from ARP say to use Thead Sealer on the studs that go into water jackets. Now on the ZZP website it says

Greatly improved clamping reduces the risk of head gasket failure. Recommended 45, 70, 85 ft/lbs using moly lube. Studs last for the lifetime of your engine making them a great investment over the single-use torque to yield bolts from the factory.

Teflon tape required for threads going into the block to prevent coolant leaks. Do not use a paste to seal these!

So now im not sure witch way i should do it. It also says i could use thread locker if i wanted to permanently mount the studs. I loook up on the internet and saw some people used ARP Thread Sealer on theres and they leaked. I'm wondering what everyone else has been using and how it worked?? I really want to get this back together! not sure what to do.

Question is, how serious are you modding this engine? If its close to stock, stay with the factory issue headbolts. When purchased at the store(Autozone), they already come with sealant on the bolts.

I got the ARP Head Studs cause they were reusable and im in the middle of doing a full gasket swapout on it. It had sat for almost 5 years in a corner or a body shop. Its a 96 Bonneville SSEI L67 and still had the plastic intake manifold gasket that was starting to go out when it was parked. 120k on the engine. The car'* stock right now but i'll engine up doing the basic bolt ons to it. I have the ARP Studs and im going to use them!@ Just wondering if u guys had good luck with the paste of the teflon tape?

i think i would go with the arp instructions. ive used permatex sealant paste a bunch of times, basically any time i needed sealant. ive never put tape in a engine before, just seems like something you should leave for your house plumbing. that stuff frays and gets in everything if you arent careful

My old engine guy would just use RTV on the head studs on my small block race motors. Never had a leak.

I'm completely unsure of motor to firewall clearances at the back of the motor but be careful about really "gluing" the studs in. Primarily on the rear head. If you would ever need to remove the head and can't get the studs out then the head has to come all the way up and off of the studs to come off. If it'* too tight then the motor has to come out. Also, not too long ago ARP studs were not "broached" at the top for an Allen wrench. If the studs are older they may not be and you would have a very hard time removing them with the motor in the car. Just an FYI. I would email ARP directly and get their recommendations for sealants etc.

Mark L

3 times I have removed heads while the engine was in my Bonneville with no problems. Remember, these are bolts that come out of the engine. Once all the bolts are out, the head will actually slide off the block if it weren't for the locating pins.

Are we both talking about the same thing? Or head studs versus head bolts. Bolts of course come right out when you take the head off and are out of the way. LowToYa253 is talking about studs, unless they are broached and you use an Allen head wrench to remove them requiring the head to slide up and off of the studs. Which means you need to have enough room to do that. I don't know exactly how much room is between the head and the firewall so I just wanted mention to LowToya253 to look at the top of the studs to see if their are newer studs with the Allen hole broached in it. In case he needs to remove them if the head does not have enough room to slide over them during a head removal. Head bolts of course will be removed and the head can just slide up and out. It sounds like he may be assembling the engine out of the car, and if the studs are not broached, it could be difficult later, especially if your are using a sealer or a locktight. If the studs again are not broached and he intends to assemble the heads on the short block in the car, it may also be a problem. Just an FYI.

Mark L

Indeed, he was talking about studs.

He may still have room though. The engine bays on these 92-99 Bonnevilles are quite "roomy".

OK got ya. Sorry. I owned a 2002 SSEi but never paid enough attention to how much room is behind the motor.

Mark