My thoughts exactly. Being that I've yet to deal with a 2.6 head r&r, maybe there are fitment issues or something to prevent this from being a viable option, I dunno.

It is common with head bolt equipped import motors being tuned for performance to switch over to a stud/nut set up. A brief explanation on the reasoning behind it: http://www.sdpc2000.com/faq/kbhowto.asp?mt_node=34

I don't believe there are any Isuzu specific stud kits, but I wouldn't be suprised if there is something with the correct length/thread pitch available. Best bet would be to talk to someone at ARP if interested in this route.