I just ordered my shorties (factory mani's are cracked) and I would like to know what fastners you guys have used on the install, I would like to use studs but not factory ones.

People that have installed these JBA Shorties have you been able to use the studs or bolts or some studs and bolts.

Also are the gaskets included worth a damn? Or should I go with another brand?

Thanks in advance

 

the gaskets they give you are like the felt you made a thanksgiving turkey with in grammar school, they are a joke. i used fel-pro from the parts store they were much better. the ford oem ones are a good purchase, mine lasted 14 years. people will have better info im sure but the fel pro are not bad.

i did use the bolts that came with them tho, i was looking at stainless but heard that its not the best with the aluminum heads, said that the harder metal will come loose quicker in the soft aluminum, and if you keep torquing than that will strip out those threads on the head. not unbelievable.

they are a zinc/steel combo so its almost like a galvanize type deal. that will help stop rust. softer grade steel. i cant give you a longevity standpoint tho be ive only had them in a few months, but not a single tick yet and still tight tho. if you prefer a stud over bolt then get somethin else then what comes with it.

as for something else everyone one here talks about the stage 8 locking ones, heard good things but havent tried. the best point i can make is dont use those gaskets!

also i did leave two studs in that wouldnt come out of the head. they were very clean, in terms of rust and i could have gotten them out with heat but i didnt want to warp the head so i just left them with new nuts. like i said the stud was great, the nut came right off that stud just stuck so i left it rather than snap it, a little lazy,

to get the old ones out i had my brother cut out some of the manifold that made it hard to reach studs. it made it easier to get on some bolts and i could turn more than a click a time with ratchet

 

Thanks for the info. The guy at JBA said the gaskets that came with them were made by Pursey, seem of fair quality but I don't want to do this again either.LOL
So thanks for the info.

My mechanic said the studs are better for fastening but I also didn't know if the studs would clear with the headers.
I didn't really want to get the stage 8 bolts, but i was having a problem locating the ARP bolts or studs.
Well thanks for the info.

How did the fitment go? Were these put on the 98' F150 or on a new body style.

Thanks bud!!

 

I put em on the 98. I had to take out oil dip stick and tranny dip stick. Couple of vacuum lines and didn't have to take out the starter surprisingly.

Since they are shorties and there's a lot of tube in the way bolts will be easier it would suck to get a stud in and then spend an hour trying to get a nut on... That's part of the reason I stuck with bolts. But if you can get a bolt in u should get a nut on but some studs are longer. My bolts haven't loosened yet even after I re tourqued them twice. None moved.

The two studs I left in it was easy to get a nut on bc it was in the open area.