The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 16 out of 18 Head Bolts = No Cigar

When I got the rebuilt 261 on the engine stand, I noticed 2 out of the 18 head bolts were left out! The two shorter recessed ones under the valve cover next to the longer ones were missed. They are #5 and 6 in the tightening sequence. He had 36 bolts from two heads so when he returned all the bolts, the "surplus" two were with them. The engine guy knows about it and was pretty darn solemn in the face. His worker torqued the bolts.

My inclination is to just add the two bolts and torque them to spec. But missing the two bolts tells me they were torqued in a sequence from memory, bad memory maybe. What do you think?

I don't want to worry you but no competent rational person could possibly make that mistake. I guess he has a helper that should be concentrating on sweeping the floor. I would be re-doing the head with a new gasket, but if there is warranty involved, I would not do that myself.

When I took my 216 apart, I discovered that somebody put it together wihout torquing the two back rear main bolts. They must have been distracted!

Wally--

Too bad. If it were me I wouldn't want to trust that head gasket--potential for water leaks and blow by. MM gives good advice--makes you suspicious of everything else. If I paid, I wud expect a new gasket set and wud either do it myself or be there when they did it. I'd want to chek everything they'd done too.

Once you've done one straight six, the sequence *is* usually done from memory. Start from the middle, work outward in a circular pattern.

Can't see how you'd miss two bolts if you were paying attention though...

-Boyo

He's coming over on Tuesday to replace the gasket with another Fel-Pro blue and retorque all the bolts. Thanks!

What else was improperly torqued
I am kinda concerned now

I'll just have to rely on the 12 month, 12,000 mile warranty now.

I think the rest will be OK. They've got a good reputation (so far) with several people I've talked to, including a couple stovebolters. They do a large volume of work with mechanics in the region. Time will tell.

Wally: I agree with Mech, and the others, about other concerns. What else has been overlooked, not properly fitted and/or checked, not torqued, missing or misplaced? Kinda makes you suspect and worry about everything else.

The critical areas in these L6 engines are rod fit and torque, and the fit of the mains and torque settings. Then all the other stuff like valve assembly, flywheel torque and cam drive come to mind. I mean if you start to be concerned about it, your mind can run wild with thoughts of all the possible screw-ups that may be possible.

You stated that you will have a warranty for 12 months. Thats good if they will stand behind it. I would at the very least have them replace the head gasket and "missing bolts", with new. I would also stress that you have them state on the sales receipt that this "corrective step" was taken after you took possession of the "complete rebuild", and that the "corrective repair" was performed by shop personnel and not yourself. You have to cover your [censored] on these kind of deals. If they will stand behind there work, Great!. If they on the other hand do not, then you will have documented the problems and handled them respondsibly and legally the best you can. One thing for sure, pictures, notes, or having them write on the bills the additional problems or corrections is the best coverage you have.

Worst case- if they overlooked something maybe, downstairs like rods or mains, it will not take too long for problems to become apparent, or for the bottom end to grenade. Any reputable shop that wants to keep in business will stand by the service that they provide.

As the word goes here on the board, "buyer beware", so keep that warranty paper handy.

Best of Luck, and keep thinking Chevy!!

Wally, you are doing the right thing and so is he. I wouldn't be rubbing his nose in it. They couldn't very likely do something wrong that would show up in 12001 miles. I think that you will be just fine.

I also think you will be fine. But, I would write it on the sales receipt. I would also mention to the owner/manager that if something happens to the engine that the first thing you will check is the torque on the affected bolts. Let's see how confident he is.

My engine. I wouldn't wait till Tue. I'd follow the sequence and back them down, NOW. Half way at a time. One of the reasons for a sequence is so that nothing warps. If you want, call him and tell him what you are doing and to bring a straight edge.

Anyone could argue that without any heat, the head probably wouldn't warp. I would argue that the gasket would still be good for the same reason.

The engine fellow made a house call and installed a new head gasket. I watched him torque to 60 ft-lb in the right sequence and then bring it up to 95 ft-lb in the same sequence. I think things will be OK. Thanks for all the help!