Welcome. Are you a Kiwi, or just lost. LOL!
Best advice: PM AlloyDave first. Been there, done that. A Kiwi man..an Aucklander!. I'm a Dunedin boy. Here's my advice.
1. Never reuse the bolts if you can help it. They are a poorer grade boron steel than the best studs you can buy, and they tend to yield over time. Head gasket failure on Fords is mainly related to a lack of corrosion inhibitor, sand casting stuff ups, or the head bolts yielding. Ford finally saw the light in 2002 with the upgrade of the bolt spec from this time honoured material to something better with the AU III spec. I'm not sure if it fits the pre OHC machines. Ford spend millions on development on these things. If it's done to spec, it should work okay. I've never had a problem with mine.
2. However, it's possible that re-using them will not result in failure if you lubricate the threads with a proper sealer, and partial torque and realease 5 or 6 times. Then a retorque to factory specs some time later. Could go through a couple of rocker gaskets, but it's the best way. Remember, a bolt is in streach, and any thing you do to reduce the friction co-effiecient between the threads and block will help the bolt reach its designed clamping pressure on the head. There is less risk in bolt yield if the bolt is lubricated. Dry, uncoated fasteners use up about 85% of the applied torque to just fight friction between the male and female threads. That's wasted effort and heat...feel the bolts after torquing a dry 7/16" bolt to 105 lb-ft. OUCH!!. Too much sealer creates a swimming pool of stuff which is even worse. Smaller amounts of thread sealer, and more repititions of moderate loading of the bolts has shown huge increases in the clamping load on the head to block interface.
3.There are no specs for any other method of using Truck-style shop techniques on an engine with a composite head gasket. There are stretch gauges and even anglar loading like diesel mechanics do. Both are easy to do if you talk to a diesel mechanic, but its better to get the Sedegins Truck and Auto Parts manual from Auckland ph (09) 256 1120 , or talk to Alloy Dave. Most good engine builders have a safety first approach. The last 12 off the stock Ford 7/16", 108mm long bolts cost me over 8 bucks each, and there's little change on a couple of Kiwi Red notes. There are ARP bolts such as the Cleveland but they are 1/2 inch, and the 289-302 Windsor arp 154-4001 look like a good prospect if $5 each plus gst lookes ok, but I don't think ARP a stretch/torque recomendation for it.
- at a pitiful 55lb-ft too - and it looked fine - must have annealed over time - which makes me suspicious of the rest.
