440 Header Bolts and Water Jackets

[7Dcuda]

Do all of the header bolts on a 440 go thru water jackets?  If not which ones do on each side?Also, how much coolant will come out if a bolt is removed without draining the coolant?  Is it just a dribble or enough that you need to try and catch it with a pan so it doesnt make a mess?

[72cudamaan]

Yup.  Drain the coolant from the rad until the level is below the exhaust ports. Water finds it's own level,so you
will continue to leak from the stud holes until then. And I suggest using green pipe dope on the studs before reassembly. It's
rated at a higher temp then most silicones or teflon.

[Chryco Psycho]

I agree all exhaust bolts enter the water jacket , & pulling any of them is similar to removing a drain plug , this is why the factory used studs & even with headers I prefer to retain the studs

[7Dcuda]

Cool...thanks for the replies guys.  I need to replace my header gaskets due to one of them having an exhaust leak creating that ticking noise that drives me crazy.  Looks like I'll be draining the fluid......what were the Chrysler engineers thinkin having the bolts go thru the water jackets???  Guess I should look into installing studs with sealant then I wont have to go thru this again whenever I need to remove headers for whatever reasons.

[Chryco Psycho]

I guess they needed access somewhere to get to the sand in the castings , , sure beat chev with the head bolts & rocker studs into the water jackets when they leak the water is pushed into the oil system instead of outside , Mopar still has a better design LOL

[cudabob496]

Just heard on Horsepower TV that freeze plugs aren't really for preventing a block from cracking when
below zero. They were put in to allow casting sand to be removed.

[Chryco Psycho]

all of the old 516 head castings do not have the freeze plugs on the end but if you look inside the head from the bottom you can see a wire in every head unless it has rusted away in 40 years again to loosen the sand inside the casting , later heads used the freeze plugs on the end , freeze plugs rarely save a block from cracking & they had to get the sand out  somewhere .

[cudabob496]

Cool...thanks for the replies guys.  I need to replace my header gaskets due to one of them having an exhaust leak creating that ticking noise that drives me crazy.  Looks like I'll be draining the fluid......what were the Chrysler engineers thinkin having the bolts go thru the water jackets???  Guess I should look into installing studs with sealant then I wont have to go thru this again whenever I need to remove headers for whatever reasons.

I'd stick with bolts, as studs make taking headers on and off a pain.
Recommend plumbers white thread compound TFE Paste for the bolts. Only thing that really worked for me.
I let it dry for a day before refilling the heads.  Got a small hole drilled in your thermostat??
Prevents air pockets from forming when you refill everything.

[72cudamaan]

I'd stick with bolts, as studs make taking headers on and off a pain.
Recommend plumbers white thread compound TFE Pastre for the bolts. Only thing that really worked for me.
I let it dry for a day before refilling the heads.  Got a small hole drilled in your thermostat??
Prevents air pockets from forming when you refill everything.

I guess Neil and I are WRONG again.  You had better do it Bobs way for sure since his way worked for him. And of course
that's the only way. 

[dodj]

studs make taking headers on and off a pain.

Especially on the driver's side.

[cudabob496]

I guess Neil and I are WRONG again.  You had better do it Bobs way for sure since his way worked for him. And of course
that's the only way. 

Just my opinion of what has worked for me. Been wrenching on the same car for 22 years.

[Chryco Psycho]

depends how you install the headers , if you drop the K frame & slide everything in  from below it makes no difference at all

[Strawdawg]

the nice thing about studs besides the improved clamping is that one seldom messes up the threads in the heads

[cudabob496]

the nice thing about studs besides the improved clamping is that one seldom messes up the threads in the heads

Good point! But, if you're trying to install headers on an installed engine, with studs, it seems
almost impossible. It sure was for me, so I pulled the heads and got rid of the studs. Then I got
stainless steel ARP bolts with the small heads, and was finally able to get the headers in snug. I also bought
ARP bolts that were a tad longer, so they would bite into the heads more, for better clamping, and less
likelihood of stripping a thread (some header flanges are pretty thick).  And finally, after trying about 4 diff products to seal bolts into the water jacket,
without leaking, I discovered the plumbers pipe thread compound, which you can now get in a high temp version.

I also suspect, that if you are using fairly large headers, like 2 inch individual pipes, then studs would prevent installing
them, even if the engine was out of the car, because of the tight bends. But this is just a guess.

[Strawdawg]

try installing the studs thru the headers just like they were bolts