Took an old head bolt, cut a pass in it with a dremel and whammo, had my own thread chaser. I went to 3 auto stores today, each and every one of them tried to sell me a thread CUTTER. I tried to explain to the kids that I wanted a chaser, NOT a cutter, and nobody knew WTF I was talking about. Its damn near impossible in this day and age to find ANYONE who knows anything about building engines. If its not BONE STOCK, they have no way of comprehending it. I have even given up on the 'tech lines' at most major aftermarket companies (SUMMIT, COMP CAMS) as all they do is google your question online and read the same crap I can fine in .34 milliseconds. ( I called Summit about an issue last week and the tech guy read, verbatim, from a chevy hotrod article online that I have seen about a dozen times)

There is more collective knowledge on this site than all of the parts stores in Syracuse.....

 

well thanks, we try to look like we know what were doing. im glad camaro 69 could help, i wasnt too sure on those bolts if they were tty or not. ive always gone to studs because they are easier to work with and dont mess up the block if the heads dont stay on there long.

as for the surface of the blocks and head, you dont want it polished smooth or very rough either. keep in mind that the head does move a tiny amount with heat/distortion and compression pressue. it needs a little roughness to stay secure to the head gasket, but not so much that its going to tear it

 

Well I hit it with a rough biscut on a electric drill...then I read up and freaked out and hit it with 400 grit on a sanding block......then finished with 600 grit on a block. U guys know me well enough, I freak out over the little stuff....my current worry is the small amount of debris stuck on the cam journals. When I chased the block bolt holes it must have thrown a little bit here and there into the cam. Small pieces, less than a grain of sand.....but of course Im freaking out debating between pulling the cam to clean it off or sticking a qtip in the lifter holes and cleanin off the cam.......Im meticulous if nothing else......

 

Wasn't sure if you knew that trick. But, 4 notches cut evenly spaced around will make for a much better chaser. Also wouldn't be a bad idea to run a nut up and down the bolt afterward to take off any burrs.
And yeah, I guess some people don't realize that a thread chaser cleans and restores the threads, whereas a tap cuts more metal away.