dibarlaw Posted January 18, 2023 Share Posted January 18, 2023 My friend has a 1932 Model 91. 344 cu.in. He has put off redoing the head for years. The car came with the head off and some bolts missing and some in bad shape. He has been collecting some bolts from scavanged small series 1932 heads not knowing if they will fit. I tried to impress on him the need for new better quality bolts. Any leads to the correct bolts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted January 19, 2023 Author Share Posted January 19, 2023 I would love for him to get it back on the road again. This was taken the last time I saw it out in the open. Over 10 years ago. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Bruce aka First Born Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 I replaced the head bolts on my 1950 with new grade 8 bolts from Construction bolt and nuts. Recommended by the Performance machine shop that "did" the head. About a 10 to 1 cr. I would think they would work for a 1932 that is much lower compression. Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Shaw Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 On 1/17/2023 at 5:26 PM, dibarlaw said: I tried to impress on him the need for new better quality bolts. I agree. We just need the diameter, thread pitch & length to find replacements. ARP | The Official Web Site (arp-bolts.com) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted January 19, 2023 Author Share Posted January 19, 2023 (edited) Thanks Mark and Ben. The size and pitch not withstanding the original bolts were scattered to the wind. Depending on design which bolts go where? Length /location? Are any to be sealed that may hit a water jacket etc.. To me this is all a minor concern in his quest to get things running. I do not believe he is factoring in all the preliminaries for success. Dropping the oil pan, clean and check, oil pump, water jacket/water pump. electricals fuel and on and on. I am not sure how long the car sat before he bought it over 10 years ago but it was probably for more than 4 or 5 decades. It is a super solid car that had very nice original upholstery.(again when I saw it 10 years ago). Edited January 20, 2023 by dibarlaw spelling (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayG Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 Larry - I hope this will help. I just picked up a 32 344 with the head off. There are 20 bolts all the same size. 5 1/2" from bottom of head to end. Then there are 2 corner studs near the water jackets that measure 5 1/4 from the top of the head to the end. Here's some pics. Jay 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
32buick67 Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 (edited) Larry, this 90 series drawing aligns with @JayG @nat measurements, hope it helps. The bolts are part number 1234289, 31-32 series 80-90. Edited January 20, 2023 by 32buick67 (see edit history) 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dibarlaw Posted January 20, 2023 Author Share Posted January 20, 2023 Thank you all on this. I am sure this will aid in his search. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick George Posted April 17, 2023 Share Posted April 17, 2023 32Buick67 - do you happen to have a similar diagram for a 32 Buick model 57S? My bolts seem to be a bit shorter (only 5 inches long - not counting the head). I'm looking for a source to replace all of mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
32buick67 Posted April 18, 2023 Share Posted April 18, 2023 @Rick George Hi Rick, Hope your efforts are going well with the 32-50 engine. I am sorry, but I don't have any 50 series bolts, but @Robert Engle might be able to help. The drawing I posted is for the larger 80-90 series and is for reference only. Your 50 series engine has a different setup, and Bob will know the details. Can I ask why you are looking to replace the head bolts? Did they break, or are you just being prudent? I ask because the original bolts are softer 1930s metal and probably shouldn't be replaced with modern grade 8 etc. Bob has a great technique, used by others on the forum, for reconditioning the underside of the bolt head to make it square again, and then also milling the head to accommodate hardened washers so the head bolts are stable throughout useful life. Sorry I don't have more details for you, but be sure to follow the shop manual when tightening the head bolts regarding numeric sequence and torque. Mario 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Engle Posted April 18, 2023 Share Posted April 18, 2023 I am not a fan of Grade 8 Bolts on these old engines. It takes too much torque to get the bolt tension in an elastic range. Think of the bolt as a spring, you want the spring stretched within it's elastic range to provide the adequate clamping force throughout its cold to hot temperature range. Factory specs for 32 50 series cars is 65 to 75 ft#'s of torque. The manuals state tighten with a 9" wrench!! Almost every cylinder head that I have seen from a 50 series 32 Buick shows collapsing of the head material around the bolts. Buick used head bolts with a relatively small hex to bolt diameter. The bolts also show collapsing of the hex on the bolts. See photos. When I rebuilt my motor, I counter bored the cylinder head at the bolt holes to accept a hardened washer as used on modern aluminum engines. I then chuck up the head bolts in the lathe and turn the bottom of the hex square. Now when assembled, the square bolt mates well with the cylinder head. I then torque to 70 ft lbs. Specs call for torqueing counter clockwise from the center. I prefer to work from the center out on both sides. I go up in increments 50 ft lbs, 60 ft lbs, and the final 70 ft lbs. Bob Engle 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick George Posted April 18, 2023 Share Posted April 18, 2023 (edited) My head bolts are worn in places. Would you recommend reusing these? @Robert Engle Edited April 18, 2023 by Rick George (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Engle Posted April 18, 2023 Share Posted April 18, 2023 I can probably scrounge up better old bolts than what you show. Most of that lower corrosion comes from the bolts that go through into the water jacket. v I always coat the thread with permatex. I'm an old school guy so I stick with what I grew up using. PM me is you need some 32 50 series bolts. Bob Engle 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick George Posted April 18, 2023 Share Posted April 18, 2023 @Robert Engle I am unable to PM you. I get the following message "Your account has not yet met the minimum content item count requirement to send personal messages.". Perhaps you can PM me? I am interested in obtaining some old bolts. Let me take a closer look at what I have to see how many I need. I'd be happy to compensate you for these along with shipping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Engle Posted April 18, 2023 Share Posted April 18, 2023 540 247 8634 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rock10 Posted April 18, 2023 Share Posted April 18, 2023 This group is the greatest! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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