1931 head bolts- washers or not?

My 32 only calls for one head bolt that is longer then the others. That's where my horn is mounted.
Dave

All 34-36 GF , GG , GH , WF engines have washers under the head bolts.

on my 12 cylinder the sub heads did NOT have washers originally. the surface where the bolts had been worked on and off over time were really poor looking, and 'correct' torque may not be obtained. I bought a spotface tool from MSC, some ARP washers, new bolts, and I think it looks great.

my car is a "mutt" so it will not be judged

My head bolts are all the same length. You would need longer bolts only in the case you have to attach a holder or something similar under one of these bolts. You should check out, if all bolts go long enough into the head thread.

Clean all threads carefully. Most threads go through into the water jackets, only 2 holes in the corners are closed holes. I also used a special heat and water resistant bolt lubricant. Curts washer would be fine, more than 1/8" thickness will do the job.

Anybody knows a recommanded head bolt torque?

I have some tumbled 316 stainless steel. Same as original. .465x .875x .165

Thanks Andreas

That makes sense. I noticed that the 32-33 parts book also shows a high compression head and I wonder if that goes with the speedster and the washers?
Definitely a driver so it will get some washers!
Do you know what position the two longer head bolts go in? I do notice the there is no difference in bolt part numbers for the speedster ( with washers ) and the rest of the cars ( without washers).

How thick of a washer did you use?

Brad

Brad:
It depends on your intention with the car. If you are looking for a concour winner you have to stay original (without washers). If you are going to build a driver, I would recommand you using washers, regardless if its original or not.
It spreads the load better into the head casting, less risk for cracks and provides a better torque tightening of the head bolts.

I used washers and slightly longer bolts. The bolts now overlap the complete thread in the block casting.

Cheers
Andreas

My new purchase might need a head gasket ( the alternative is not something I care to think about! Start with the easy stuff first!)

The engine has thick washers under the head bolts ( at least 1/8").
The engine in my other '31 has none.
The parts manual says washers were only used for speedsters but this engine is original to the car.
Why the washers??

Is there an advantage to using the washers and should I be using washers in any event on both cars? Somewhere in past hours of internet searching, I'm sure I read don't forget the washers but the page I was looking at is lost in time.


Thanks
Brad