[Barry_R]

Undy - sorry it took so long to see this and respond - I was tangled up with family stuff over the weekend.

You obviously found the problem. Damn.

The Pond block uses a special dedicated head stud kit with longer than normal thread engagement. In this case those are going to be a real help with the marginal thread integrity. You have to get them directly from Pond or a dealer since ARP does not sell them. The lower corner holes on an FE are problematic due to the head dowel recess reducing/lowering the thread position there.

I prefer helicoils myself - I have had timeserts pull out and break. The pulled upper threads will act as a drill guide, although a 1" hunk of aluminum with holes for the pulled bolt and an adjoining one is better - you want to keep those studs straight.

Do it like the surgeons on TV - tape off everything with plastic and just open up the spot you're working on.

I just use Fel-Pro 1020 head gaskets, nothing special. Cometics are good parts but I do not like the fact that they do not have emboss beads around the coolant openings on FEs. That potentially lets coolant migrate across the head and co-mingle with teh oil feed to the rockers.