broken head bolt

[Hoggystyle]

hey all, i have a judgement question i need some help with. i took off the top end of my 79 550 to do the base gasket, valve seals, lap valves etc, and when i put the head gasket on i snapped a bolt on the left side of the engine it is a small 1/4 bolt, 1 of 3 total. it snapped off so deep in i have to take the head off to get to it safely. the question i have is wheter or not to reuse the head, its the OEM aluminum layer type. the thing is i havent ran the engine yet so im not sure if i can use it again, what d oyou guys think? also do you know where to get heat treated bolts like the ones used on the engine. i found the right sized bolts at the hardware store but im positive they wont hold up to the heat. thanks for your help guys

[spchips]

Tough call. I'd reuse it, but I tend to be pretty liberal with these things. Since it hasn't run, there's still a little cush in it left

[Hoggystyle]

thats what i was hoping for. do you use anything on your head gaskets? a guy at the auto store recommended copper tack spray, ever use it?

[gearhead13]

I use a tiny bit of ultra black around just the oiling areas.

[spchips]

nothing. the rings around the cylinders need to bite to hold. something around the oiling areas is okay.

[Hoggystyle]

just so you know, i used the copper sprayh and reused the gasket. i had to pull the cylinders and drill out the old bolt with a hardened bit. drilled right through the old bolt and saved the threads. no leaks yet after 20 miles or so