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I was told so many years ago that the only dumb question was the one that went unasked. With that in mind, can someone give me a step by step method to seal my valve covers on my '55 400. I've tightened them and I still get oil weeping from the ends. The rearward ends of the block are where I get the leaks down the back of the block. I hate the resulting smell of oil burning.

Thanks much.

Use some Indian Head gasket sealer on a new gasket, that should stop it.

You need to torque each cover bolt to about 740 ft lbs for a firm seal, then spray down the engine compartment with febreze.....

Please note that I haven't tried this yet, but may, soon, for the same reasons.....

Quote:

That kinda follows my guidelines of "tighten it until it breaks then back it off 1/4 turn..."

Kevin, is that an early 55 400??

Aren't the rocker covers subject to the same belling and stretching of holes the oil/trans pan is? Have you verified that is not a problem on one or more holes. I know I belled all of them slightly the opposite way before installing and then put non hardening permatex on one side of gasket and torqued to spec. So far so good.

I would suggest removing the valve covers, inspecting the flat areas where the gaskets sit for denting due to over-tightening of the fasteners. If you have that condition it is going to take a lot of goop to seal the covers. I have hammered them back flat, that lets the gasket do its job. If the metal is all pulled downward where the bolt holes are the gasket doesn't have a fighting chance.

To Pat Green and other readers:

I do not have my service manual handy, but yoiur spec of tightening the valve cover to 740 ft lbs is incorrect to say the least. That is appluying 740 lbs of force on a typical 1 ft long ratchet handle. For comparison a head nut on a straight 8 is about 64 lbs so 740 would be abut 12 times a much on a tiny-tiny bolt.

Check your source, perhaps it is 740 INCH-pounds or about 6 1/2 ft lbs.

Checking for a flat mounting surface on the cover is most important

Best of luck, the v8 does not have a reputation as a leaker

.
Fred Kanter
Kanter Auto Products
Boonton nj

Lighten up. I think EVERYONE except u took Pat Greens post as bit of humor.

BTW, 740 INCH-pounds is about 60 Foot pounds, not 6.

740/12 is about 60. not just 6.

The manual says 15-18 FOOT-pounds of torque.

Since there is a leaking problem:

Try tightening hte CORNER bolts first to about 2 or 3 foot pounds. Then tighten the center bolts to 2 or 3 foot pounds.

Repeat the process until the 15-18 foot pounds obtain.

For first tightening i would short the 15-18 foot pounds to about 12. Retighten later on after 300 miles or so.

In situations like this i like to cement the gasket to the rocker cover and RTV on the head. THe RTV makes for EZ release of the gasket without breaking. It helps alot if there are several removals of the cover over short periods of time.