ARP GM Series II/III 3800 Head Stud Kit

APPLICATIONS:

• 1995-2004 Bonneville with 3800 Series II engine
• 1996-2002 Camaro with 3800 Series II engine
• 1996-2002 Firebird with 3800 Series II engine
• 1997-2008 Grand Prix with 3800 Series II or Series III engine
• 2000-2005 Impala with 3800 Series II engine
• 1998-1999 Intrigue with 3800 Series II engine
• 1996-2004 LeSabre with 3800 Series II engine
• 1998-2000 Lumina with 3800 Series II engine
• 1998-2005 Monte Carlo with 3800 Series II engine
• 1995-1999 Oldsmobile 88 with 3800 Series II engine
• 1996-1996 Oldsmobile 98 with 3800 Series II engine
• 1995-2002 Park Avenue with 3800 Series II engine
• 1995-2002 Regal with 3800 Series II engine
• 1995-2008 other applications with 3800 Series II or Series III engine

Why Use Studs Instead of Factory Head Bolts?

GM's factory head bolts for the 3800 are 'torque-to-yield' bolts, intended to be used only one time, and then discarded due to stretch. Instead of buying new factory bolts for high-performance builds, we strongly recommend head studs. Studs provide for easier gasket and head alignment during reassembly, and provide more accurate and consistent torque loading. When you use bolts to secure the head, the fastener is actually being 'twisted' while it is being torqued to the proper reading. Accordingly, the bolt is reacting to two different forces simultaneously.

A head stud should be installed in a 'relaxed' mode - never crank it in tightly using a jammed nut. If everything is right, the stud should be installed finger tight using any Teflon-based thread sealant (NOT thread locker). Then, when applying torque to the nut, the stud will stretch only on the vertical axis. Because the head gasket will compress on initial torquing, we recommend that studs and bolts are re-torqued after the engine has been run. Final torque specification of 80 foot-pounds for studded L36 and L67 engines.

Our Head Stud Kits are manufactured by Automotive Racing Products (a.k.a. ARP). Simply stated, there is not a better stud setup on the market today. For openers, ARP uses a premium grade 8740 alloy that is rated far superior to 'aircraft' quality. Then, each stud is placed vertically in special racks and precisely heat-treated to 190,000 psi. This procedure ensures complete heat penetration and the results are far superior to those lesser quality studs from other manufacturers who just dump pieces in a basket and hope for the best.

Following heat-treat, each stud is centerless ground to make it as close to perfectly concentric as possible. This procedure involves about ten very slight cuts and results in an exceptionally straight part. It's important to note that lesser quality studs are not even centerless ground - the material is thread rolled in bar stock form (mostly before heat-treat, when the material is easier to machine). Because ARP studs are manufactured to such exacting tolerances, you will note that gaskets and cylinder heads literally glide into position and are perfectly aligned - something that won't happen with inferior quality head studs.

ARP studs are thread rolled AFTER heat-treat, which give them about 1,000% (that's ten times) better fatigue strength than those studs that are threaded prior to heat-treat (a very common industry practice). It costs a lot more to do it this way, because it's tough on tooling, but the results are well worth the extra effort.

Clearly, these are the best head stud kits on the market today, and the favorite of leading professional engine builders in all forms of racing. Our kit comes complete with 16 head studs, 16 parallel ground washers, 16 6-point nuts and a small packet of assembly lubricant.

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