i keep think in of ideas .. i got a butload of thread lock on it but im not sure i like the stuff b.c icould easly tighten the bolts again (all of them, rutene check) after a few days of driving.. ill keep lookin up alternitives for fixing the threads... it grabs good just in the inner part of the bolt hole... still just bothers me...especially when i really hate leaky exhausts.. i cant tell if its leaking... sometimes i think i can hear it when im on O/D and doing about 40 and seems the motor is working hard b/c its going slower at such a highgear... but its hard to isolate it... it goes away when i get on it or downshift...i dunno if its the cat/flowmaster resonating or just the tailpipes barking... AAHHH i hate beein hard of hearing and tonedeaf!!!!

 

Jb weld works great, I used it on the 87's heads when I put on the headers. Pluged little holes below the exhust ports for the emissions system. Ran it for 5 years and never had a problem with it. As for he heli we used it all the time on the race car, a item that should be in every tool box in my oppinion. But like charlie said make sure you use the right bit size.

 

The only way to visually check with the heads on the engine is to find a way to see inside the cylinder then be able to bend upwards to face the valves. I'm not aware of any economical or cheap way to do it. Maybe a good mechanic would have something (like a NASCAR racing crew), but I highly doubt it. If your truck has the 360, and is in excess of 100k miles, you just might have the problem. I had a miss for quite some time but since it wasn't that bad, I tolerated it. The only way I found the head problem was to test the suspect cylinder for compression and then add pressure. Compression was zero and the air pressure leaked out bad enough that it could be heard. The cracks appear right in the area of the head between the intake and exhaust valves. In your case, compression will probably be really low in the affected cylinder(s), and if you apply air pressure, you may not hear it because the cracks aren't severe enough. Wish I could be a little more helpful.

 

no worries... that was alot of help! i think in about a year ill do the heads unless i can find a SUPER good deal somewhere else... ill start shoppin around now... thanks alot!!!