Broke off in the head managed to twist it out with pliers but can't seem to find a replacement anywhere. Ford says the part is back ordered and won't be in stock for over a month. Are there any aftermarket options?

 

You could check Jegs.com and/or Summit Racing---they'd have stock-type bolts plus others too---high performance, dressy etc etc.

You could measure the bolt for its diameter and thread pitch or find a local fastener house who would more than likely have a generic bolt that would work just fine. I like using the factory style bolts in that same instance but waiting that long wouldn't be agreeable at all. Almost hard to believe such a common fastener is that far back ordered but it can happen I guess.

Best of luck with this!

 

You can try these folks.
https://www.fastenal.com/
jim

 

thanks for you suggestions will check out summit racing and jegs. I took the bolt to Home Depot and used their pitch thread measuring tool to figure out the correct size and length (went with one that was a little shorter for fear of bottoming out). grabbed a new flanged bolt (it was a zinc one IIRC) and used a dremel to break the old bolt loose from it's metal bushing that holds the black o-ring (comes stock as one locked together piece) then slid the new bolt in. snugged down without any problems but still feel a little uneasy about it!

 

wow this site is great! thanks! now just need to learn a bit about which kinds of metals are best for high heat applications. Would it be safe to assume a valve cover bolt doesn't need to be too hefty? Found a regular old zinc bolt at the home depot that seems to be working so far but I haven't fired up the engine yet since my intake manifold is still off.

 

A valve cover bolt isn't that critical.