i have a question about installing head studs do the heads have to be pulled to ive read an article in dieselpower mag about doing studs on a 6.4 and they did them one bolt at a time torqueing down the stud after removing the factory bolt and ive noticed most people when they do studs they just use the factory head gasket so i wanted to know if this would work i have no problems with my head gaskets at the moment and plan on doing studs just wonder if this would work and save me sometime thanks for reading

 

I have heard pros and cons. . .it can be done and I may try it too since I have no current issues. I'm attempting to prevent problems, not solve problem. . .my funds are low, so I'm in stand by mode. . Let us know how you make out if you try the individual route!

 

will do im happy with the pickup just the way it is just want to make it last

 

There is no problem with doing a bolt-stud swap one at a time, the gasket will maintain its seating. However, there is no way to know 100% for sure if the gasket is comprimised unless you pull that head. The history of the truck and its current condition can really aid in making that call. My rig only had 35k on the clock when I tore into it and was showing no signs of a failure, but when I took the heads to the machine shop they were warped by almost .003" and could have popped the gasket at any time under a load, they were still machinable and everything is going perfect now. I've more than doubled the odometer since I finished the job and haven't had a single hiccup.

 

thats good to know my pickup is still under warranty for another 2000 miles and im going to test the headgaskets this weekend to make sure they're still good before the warranty goes