# 1966 389 head bolts



## Al's 66 goat (Jul 21, 2021)

Hey there I was hopin to get a little advice/info on interchangeability for head bolts from some of you Pontiac gurus .
Here's what I got .
A 66 goat with a 66 389 motor not original to the car .
Its a yc block that from what I've gathered was in a B body with a 2 barrel carb. 
Block is all done and ready. I've got a tri power set up ready to go and the correct cam for the 389 .
We tore this engine down several years ago and instead of misplacing or losing one or 2 bolts like the missing sock lol we lost them all.
I've searched hi and low and don't see them anywhere. 
I'm getting ready to purchase an engine bolt kit I found online that has everything other than the head bolts which finally leads me to the primary question I have here :

Are head bolts for a 66 389 the same regardless of which car the 389 was in ? 
I'm just not sure if the head castings were different say between 66 goat vs 66 b body Catalina 

Any help or input would be greatly appreciated


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## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

Al's 66 goat said:


> Hey there I was hopin to get a little advice/info on interchangeability for head bolts from some of you Pontiac gurus .
> Here's what I got .
> A 66 goat with a 66 389 motor not original to the car .
> Its a yc block that from what I've gathered was in a B body with a 2 barrel carb.
> ...



The length should be the same. The Ram Air head bolts have a couple different length bolts due to the design of the head.

What the most brought up issue is that some of the head bolts will have a threaded stud on their tops. These were used in the head/rocker arm area to hold the oil splash guards which you may not have with the B-body engine (no you don't have to have them). They were found on the HP engines.

The other head bolts with studs were used for the negative ground batter wire and I believe AC. Not 100% sure on all of them and their locations.

Make sure you use the 1965-66 rocker arms and pushrods. 1967 and up are different and may not work correctly. Heads were changed in 1967 and up.

Pic 1 is the 1965-66 oil splash guards, or "drippers" for the HP 389/421 engines ('67 and up are different).
Pic 2 is the head bolt with stud that the splash guards attach to.
Pic 3 is how you know you have the correct length head bolts. Install them in the head while the head is off and look to see that they all protrude evenly. If so, you are good.


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## Al's 66 goat (Jul 21, 2021)

Wow nice ! Very good and important information there because although its a yc block im putting a tri power cam and tri power intake and carbs on it like the hp motors and if the oil splash guards came on that motor then that's what I want to use. 
. .only thing is will I be able to use the splash guards on the heads that came on this yc block that I have here? I don't have the heads here in front of me. They're over at this guy's place who's putting the motor together for me. If they don't have the hole as shown in your picture #2 will i still somehow be able to use the oil splash guards anyway ?
I want this engine compartment looking factory for that tri power 389 for 66


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## Al's 66 goat (Jul 21, 2021)

PontiacJim said:


> The length should be the same. The Ram Air head bolts have a couple different length bolts due to the design of the head.
> 
> What the most brought up issue is that some of the head bolts will have a threaded stud on their tops. These were used in the head/rocker arm area to hold the oil splash guards which you may not have with the B-body engine (no you don't have to have them). They were found on the HP engines.
> 
> ...


Hey do you by chance know of a good resource to get the head bolts ?
BTW my car is a factory ac car so I guess I'm gonna need the bolt set that comes with 2 of the bolts with studs on them


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## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

Al's 66 goat said:


> Hey do you by chance know of a good resource to get the head bolts ?
> BTW my car is a factory ac car so I guess I'm gonna need the bolt set that comes with 2 of the bolts with studs on them



Butler lists an assortment of head bolts. They have standard bolts, not with studs, for the 1966 which seems to be specific to the '66 heads. They also have later head bolts, 1967 and up with the needed studs. So I would email them and ask what they may have or if they can put together a kit for you. They may also have other options/fixes that may work.



https://butlerperformance.com/i-31643735-arp-pontiacd-porthead-bolt-kit-66-389-421-092-093-heads-arp190-3602-66.html?ref=category:1404078



Short of that, put a want as on the PY site as those guys typically upgrade to ARP bolts and may have a set they can sell/let go. Then of course Ebay for a factory AC set.






PY Online Forums - Bringing the Pontiac Hobby Together


PY Online Forums - The online meeting place for Pontiac Enthusiasts all over the world.



forums.maxperformanceinc.com


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## Al's 66 goat (Jul 21, 2021)

Yeah butler only had arp regular bolts .
Couldn't reach them by phone but I emailed them and they got right back to me .

I did find these now the issue is figuring out with ones go where. There are 7 with studs. 









Head Bolt Kit, 64-66 Pontiac V8, 20pc @ OPGI.com


Head Bolt Kit, 64-66 Pontiac V8, 20pc. Fasten your cylinder heads with these original style bolts from OPGI. Bolts are manufactured to factory specifications a…




www.opgi.com


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