Topic: 1977 CB 750F supersport restoration: Head bolts rusted

[bennyrayster]

So I have some issues with rust on a few of my head bolts and the holes they go into.
Should I replace the rusted bolts? What should I do about the rusty holes they came out of?
-Ben

[Thousandson]

I just had a little rust on mine. I just used a scotch bright pad a little water. You can do the same thing.

[calj737]

If they're rusted, they've lost their plating. And they will rust again promptly upon reassembly. Best and easiest to simply replace them. From the looks of it, I'd consider replacing your studs too. Several look badly rusted and that will reduce their strength and stretch. You are likely to find that when you reassemble your top end and torque the nuts, that you shear one or more studs. Then you get to start all over again...

If you do opt to remove/replace your studs, use a stud puller and cinch it as close as possible to the deck. Heat the stud at the block until it's cherry red, rap the end of the stud with a dead blow, then twist it out carefully with the stud puller. Guaranteed to prevent shearing and snapping off of the existing stud.

[Davidov]

It's a better plan to use HD studs from Dynoman, Cycle X, 4-into-1(?).

You will be able to use a higher torque spec on the cylinder head nuts, which will prevent oil leaks.
Those factory studs are thin and stretch over time. If they don't break, they will heat up and stretch. Like I said before, it will cause leaks and possibly compromise the head gasket.

[madmtnmotors]

Y'all realize we are talking F2 here... the rusted studs are the ones exposed to the atmosphere. Scotchbrite or steel wool to clean them up, grease the shafts to prevent further corrosion (storing the bike indoors helps too) and put it back together.

Don't forget the extra o-rings at the base of these studs as well as the acorn head nuts (w/copper washers) up top upon reassembly. If you prep the gasket surfaces properly and use a quality gasket there should be no leaks. HD studs are cheap insurance, but what if you break one or more while trying to extract the old ones? No joy there...