2.8 headbolt question

[steelbender]

I am Rebuilding the 2.8 v6 engine in an 86 chevy s-10 4x4 extended cab pickup
this is an iron head engine not aluminum. it's fuel injected and manual trans
picked it up for 200$ Question is does this engine have those goofy head bolts
that you have to replace or are they standard torque em down and forget em
that you can reuse? Asking this because one of the auto parts folks
said some of the 2.8 engines have what he calls stretch bolts that you have to replace if you pull the head.

I am used to old 8cyl and motorcycle engines. torque em down in sequence and forget it.

steelbender

[bszopi]

The head bolts are "torque-to-yield" bolts. So yes, once you torque them down, they do effectively stretch some. But, people have re-used them before without any real issues. If you are just doing a standard rebuilt, you can probably get away with reusing them. But if you are doing a performance build (or are anal like some of use), its best to spend the $20 or so and get the new head bolts.

[powerdoctor]

I agree with bszopi here.

I have used to stock head bolts over and over again without failure...
But if you are going to go nuts with it, use new ones : )

[jp_grasshopper_007]

don't be cheap buy new bolts

[geoffinbc]

Actually the old iron head bolts can be reused. But since they are so damn old I would replace them too.

[SuzukiGhostRider]

Take it from a mechanic. You should NEVER re-use head bolts. They are torque to yield as stated above, so once used,they will not pull down as they should a second time. Spend the money, it's better than replacing your head because of warpage or your head gasket because of bad sealing. GL.

[geoffinbc]

They are NOT torque to yield bolts. The new 3X00 engines are but the old ones are not.

I know what your saying though, you should never reuse the bolts since the head gasket is such a critical component.