[DeTomaso] Quick Survey

[JDeRyke at aol.com]

In a message dated 5/24/09 9:28:20 AM, mbefthomas at comcast.net writes:

> I thought a stud girdle was used on the bottom of the engine for the 
> crank. Are they used on heads as well?
> 
Thats a main girdle, used to brace up weak main caps- which is not normally 
a 351-C problem. A stud girdle is a set of bars that ties all the rocker 
studs together at their tops. With stiff valvesprings and high rpms, the studs 
do move a little, and the adjusting nuts also tend to loosen. A stud girdle 
prevents both from happening. Some aftermarket 351-C studs do tend to break 
at high rpms; one member broke one coming into 'Vegas and spent most of the 
weekend in the parking lot trying to fix the car, finally having it 
flat-bedded clear to the CA coast. This thoroughly wrecked his 'Fun' rally. Call 
them 'insurance' because with a girdle, the stud likely wouldn't have broken, 
but if it still did, a   girdled engine would have been driveable for a 
careful trip back home. FWIW- J Deryke


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