Hi Miller3,

It doesnt sound right but cant be wrong based on a few simple observations. Initially I thought if the studs were longer, this would allow deeper engagement. After some details measuring, in particular on the inlet side of the block, if they were longer the main oil gallery would be compromised as it is merely mm's below the bottom os the stud hole in the bottom of the water jacket.

The studs I have are identicle to the ones pictured on Matt Lewis's site.

The waterpump mod was probably the easiest part of the job!! Lots of custom/extended tooling has been made to do the machining.

I guess answers to the following questions would help clear things up a little...

Do UK machine shops simply tap the thread straight into the cast iron or do they use helicoils?

Have UK machine shops noticed differences in 200 blocks? In particular the extra little platforms cast into the bottom of the water jackets to which the studs are screwed into?

Are these torque specs correct? 55ft/lb with loctite into the block, 95ft/lb with thread lube for the head retaining nuts?

Lastly, from my basic understanding of engineering practices...the rule of thumb for thread engagement is 1.5 times the diameter for thread engagement...is this still considered the case when istalling long studs?

Hopefully we can get some good reference material and information posted here

Cheers,

Phil.