[DeTomaso] A good price on Jomar 351C stud girdles

[JDeRyke at aol.com]

FWIW, my stud girdle is a Ridgeway three-bar type but not their so-called 
'Grand National' model. Mine fits underneath cast aluminum 'DeTomaso' or Ford 
Boss/HO valve covers; the larger Grand National girdle will not. A 3-bar 
girdle avoids the adjuster problem that Will had, but costs more to begin with 
so likely our total prices were the same. For those unaware, a stud girdle 
clamps all aftermarket rocker arm adjusting nuts on a head into a rigid bar 
system. This does two things: it braces all the rocker studs against each 
other so cracking of the studs from over-revving or parts failure is highly 
unlikely. And it positively clamps the rocker adjusting screws so they cannot 
loosen in operation. The one disadvantage is, the girdles must be removed to 
adjust valves, then replaced each time. If you use hydrauilc flat or roller 
lifters, this is not an issue.
Note that all stud girdle systems use their own unique rocker adjusting 
nuts; so if you buy (for instance) Isky full-roller adjustable rocker arms, the 
supplied Isky nuts won't fit the Ridgeway stud girdle (which does include 
Ridgeway's own locking nuts). So don't waste your money buying some special 
patented locking nuts that likely won't fit whatever stud girdle you 
eventually purchase. Good luck- J Deryke