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Time Serts, Norm's, SureGrip Stud Kit??????

33K views 54 replies 27 participants last post by  Submariner409 
#1 ·
Time Serts, Norm's, SureGrip Stud Kit??????
Has anyone tried SureGrip SG102 Stud Kit designed and developed by Northstar Performance. http://www.northstarperformance.com/sgstuds.php

Any input as to which is best?
Where to buy parts?
Headgasket? Brand
 
#31 ·
Jake'a SureGrip Stud Kit??????

OK, it's time to give a report. I bought my cad. Eldorado, drove it about 200 miles, and the dreaded event happened! So, I ordered the stud kit from Jake. Now for the results. I got the kit [thank you Jake!] and had the work done locally here in Colorado by Steve Mills Racing, Colo Springs, Colorado. The car is running GREAT! Steve said the studs are hell for stout, and should be a permanent fix. I must admit that I am very cautious of the temp gauge, but I'll settle down soon. Jake, I cant tell you how much I appreciate everything. You were so busy you could not stop, but I got the studs and they were 100%! If you are thnking about having this done, you can count on Jake and his word! Both are gold. I would be tickled to talk with anyone who has any questions for me about this process. This 'AD" is unsolicited and I have not ties with Jake, other than our contact in this matter. My phone is: 719 838 1441, and I am located in Lake George, Colorado. Once again, Jake THANK YOU!
Ron Zaccagnini
 
#33 ·
Time serts whether the first or second repair, the stud kit will take care of it. You will only need to drill part way into the sert, no problem for the drill bits that come with the kits.

And thank you so much Ron, things are starting to get back to normal around the shop. Starting to. Turns out I may need a bit more machinery for the stud process to speed things up but it's working out so far.
 
#35 · (Edited)
I'd go with Norm's inserts with ARP studs. I am about to start the same job myself and that is my plan. I tried to order a stud kit from Jake but got no response. Don't know what the story is (and no offense to Jake) but I don't have time for that. Norm is very professional, is on top of things, and he is available by phone or email and replies very promptly.
 
#36 ·
Use Norm's inserts. They are placed in the proper place in the block. You never want to put the treads up by the deck surface.

Norm has corrected a few small issues with his fixture

The last thing is I very very strongly suggest using the OE bolts -- You have about a 4" thick piece of aluminum or so. If the car starts out at say -20° and warms all the way up to say 230° in 1 heat cycle the head will grow say .25mm to .5mm and with harden steel bolts something has to give.
Think about it grade 8 bolts trying to strech say .25mm on a 100° C heat cycle. Something will give and I would put money on the block. I would say the threads will break down. The factory bolts strech to keep the proper torque on the head gasket at all times. Another reason for the OE bolts over Studs is that if you had studs and the head grows and the compression ring in the head gasket gets squished even thinner, then what would happen with the engine is cold the next time? I think you would have a leaky head gasket correct?

----------

I have several sets of heads. One set is brand new. I own a heated aquatic parts washer (the spray cabinet type). I could measure the thickness of a head at say our nice warm temp of 70° and then put the head in the parts washer for 20 minutes. Then remeasure it after it has been spinning around for the 20 minutes at 230° if anyone would like me to
 
#41 ·
Where do i get these norm certs and studs. I've piad this guy jake 14 weeks ago and nothing i,ve called visa card services to try to get my money.im sick of this car being down taking up space n my garage. I need to finish this car i have alot of other things i need to do northstar is very unreliable. So any body send me some info on these norm certs and arp studs would be greatly appreciated
 
#44 ·
I have a Norm's kit from a few years ago that I used once - it's all there, except for the inserts, which you can get separately from Norm...and I think elsewhere too. I seem to remember I paid $350 - would let it go for $50 plus shipping, let me know if interested.

PS it worked great - the car is still on the road years later - the stepson drives it now.

Richard Moore
 
#47 ·
Norm's are threaded inserts that go into the block that original style head bolts screw into... Jake's design are studs tat you put into the block and you use nuts to fasten the heads down.
 
#49 ·
Who's package is more difficult to install?

I just finished drilling & taping my block for Norm's inserts, but have never done Jake's. I have read Jake's procedure posted on his web site, and seen pictures. Both do utilize the same general procedure: use a jig fixture (centered over the old hole) to drill out the old threads in preparation for taping for inserts/studs. After each hole is drilled, a bushing for the tap is installed in the jig, and the hole is taped, by hand. You do this for all 20 bolt holes. The procedure for Norm's then calls for applying lock-tite to the insert & threads in the block, and inserting to a specific depth. Jake has a procedure that is specific to the dimensions of his studs.

I elected to go with Norm's inserts - because I could get them! I also chose to go with ARP studs in Norm's inserts. If you do that, let him know, as there is a slight difference in inserts when using new GM head bolts, or the ARP studs. The combo of Norm's inserts & ARP studs ended up being approximately $100 more that Jake's package.

Having done only 1 of the two procedures, but read the other, it seems that the actual work for either would be the same.

Information on Norm is at: www.HuhnSolutions.com . The studs are ARP part # 141-4204 (for Dodge SRT4 & PT Cruiser), and you will need two of the stud packages.

Cheers,
Steve
 
#55 ·
You seem to be having a good time resurrecting old, dead threads from past history. There is a LOT more, later info on BigSerts, Norm Huhn's NS300L inserts and the SureGrip studs from NorthstarPerformance.

The original TimeSert (Time Fastener Corp.) for the Northstar head bolt replacement size was replaced by their BigSert quite a while back - for the same reasons the NS300L is/was the superior product.
 
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