Ok, so I'm flipping through the Skoggin-Dickey Parts Catalog when I come to this chart about intakes and torqueing down the bolts. It made me think of when I did mine and now I'm wondering who is right?

These are for aluminum manifolds:
SDPC says 25 ft-lbs.
Edlebrock says 30 ft-lbs
Hayes says 35 ft-lbs

The last 2 could be switched but I do remember those numbers. Now who is right?

 

Any, and all.

Torque specs typically go with hardware size. That is, if more or less clamping force is required, proper design calls for changing the hardware size. Aluminum and iron intakes don't really require different clamping force, since they're sealing the same gaskets in most cases, so the required torque is the same.

All 3 of those numbers are resonable values for the size of hardware used on our intakes. You won't screw anything up using any of them. The sequence you torque them in, and the surface prep, and the gasket quality, are the things that make it or break it.

Now if you put 55 ft-lbs on there, don't be surprised if something warps; or at 15 ft-lbs, the gasket moves. I've been using 30 myself for years, although I don't usually use a torque wrench, seems to work just fine.

 

30 is what I used also, I just thought it was funny I got 3 different figures for the same manifold.