i jsut got some new valve covers and i cant find the chilton manual to tell me the torque that they should be on there any1 have that information or somewhere online i can find it? thank you

 

not too tight, but not loose either.


it's not a critical thing. Just tighten them a bit so they snug down, but not overtightened so that you warp the gasket surface. Use RTV on the valve cover side, and throw on a re-usable FelPro gasket on each.

 

i use a socket on a screwdriver style handle, works good as theirs pretty much no way to over torque them that way.

 

yea i got some real nice felpro gaskets but dont know what rtv is, right now they are jsut hand tightened on there, thanx

 

RTV is silicone sealant. I believe that the book sas tighten to 12-15 ft lbs. If you have aluminum heads. 12 ft lbs max. Anything higher WILL require helicoils.

 

Use a nut driver (like a srewdriver with a socket) and go hand tight. That'll be enough. Actual spec is like 6 ft-lbs or something.

 

if you have the standard sbc heads a neat trick is to use rtv on the top of the gasket and a thin later of axle grease on the bottom.
the valve cover is easier to clean than the head.
there is also the possibility of reusing the valve cover gasket(if you remove the valve cover carefully!)
the grease prevents leaks suprisingly effectively!
the rtv holds the gasket to the valve cover's smoother gasket surface.
i haven't tried the new silicone rubber ones yet,but hopefully soon!
i'll post results when i try them
Eric B

 

i have the reusable ones on mine. i don't use any silicone/rtv either. 3 years since i have had them off and no leaks. the nut driver/hand tight works great.

 

I have used the reusable ones for a year now and had the valve covers off and on many times. I haven't had it leak yet.