How a new head gasket and and rebuilt head fixed everything i hated about my car
 

So i had my head rebuilt with all new seals and a 3 angle valve job. I replaced the cometic head gasket with stock composite gasket.

The result is astonishing. The car idles so much better. There is no more smoking, no more idle drop and for some reason i dont get anymore of compressor surge. And no more lifter tick. However right when i started the car the lifters made a horrible nose for like 10 minutes the car literally sounded like its diesel. I shut it off and called the machine and they told me its normal and is because it takes a while for the hydraulic lifters to fill up with oil.

Should I re-torque the ARP studs after 500 miles?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSNEKM7RNaI

no, torque them once and leave them.

Why not???? I re-torqued mine after a couple hundred miles and got a 1/4 turn.

I had some people tell me that there is no need to touch them and others told me to re torque them.

If you keep your lifters submerged in some ATF overnight before reinstalling them it can alleviate some or all of the racket when you crank it up. It makes it easier to hear other problems if you are cranking a rebuilt engine for the first time, too.

good to know. The shop that did the rebuild told me that drain all the lifters so they dont get damaged when they fill up with oil the first time. I was a bit skeptical about that answer tho.