Doing hg's soon, want to use the best gaskets, Elring, Victor? Also read that good after market stretch bolts were better than OE, but where to get them? Probably not going with studs... thanks.

 

I would suggest spending the extra $ and using ARP studs.

 

Victor Reinz and Elring both work very well.

 

drop the oil pan and rotating assembly and weld from the inside and out haha

 

Lots of posts on studs vs stretch bolts...don't want to rehash any of that. With that in mind, definitly spring for ARP studs

 

^^^ okay; if one was choosing to use stretch bolts, which ones are the best ones?

 

"Doing hg's soon, want to use the best gaskets"
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Are you sure problem is "just head gaskets," not more? Are you sure one or both heads are not warped at all? Are you sure you couldn't use a good valve job, since you will have heads off; time is perfect for doing a valve job. I would never take heads off, without doing a valve job, or at least checking for wear on valve guides, putting in new valve stem seals, testing valve springs, etc. Do the job right; do it one time, so you don't have to do it again a short time from now.

 

"Doing hg's soon, want to use the best gaskets, Elring, Victor?"
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Are you sure you meant "the best gaskets?" If that is what you really want, the best, no question, is Cometic, triple stainless steel, best sealing fire ring on any make, but expensive. The ones you mention are middle of the road quality; not even in same league as Cometic.

 

"Probably not going with studs." Choosing stretch head bolts."
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If that is what you do, you will be making a mistake. These engine blocks have a strong tendency to crack behind one or more of the cylinder liners when overheated, which, in turn, loosens up one or more liners, causing liners to slip up/down, and also to loosen up one or more head bolts at same time, from same cause. Earlier GM and Rover versions of this engine did not crack behind the liners, the cracking began only after Rover bored cylinders out for the 3.9/4.0/4.6 versions, because the walls behind liners were too thin. The cylinder liners are pressed in cold, while block is heated up, during manufacturing, which puts stress on the thin aluminum walls behind the cylinder liners. Additionally, the stretch bolts put added stress on the block, at critical areas at base, bottom, of each threaded head bolt hole---that is why this cracking behind liners happens almost always precisely exactly across from the bottom of these threaded head bolt holes, toward the thin aluminum wall. ARP studs/nuts do not exert same sort of stress that the stretch bolts do, so it is highly recommended that you use studs/nuts. If you don't, please don't come back on this forum some time down the road, saying that your block cracked, or asking us to diagnose your problem, with coolant in cylinders and/or in oil, and/or combustion gasses in coolant.

 

I disagree with this statement - come back either way and let us know what happened. We always need more data about what works and what doesn't.