I had the heads resurfaced, etc., and reinstalled in my 95 LT1 Z28. Removed bolts and reinstalled Fel-Pro Bolts with engine in car. It is very difficult to obtain spec torque at angles of 80 and 21 degrees as specified in manual.

I tested the bolts with the torque wrench and found them to be approximately 51 ftpounds each, both short and long bolts. Before initial start of engine, can I now loosen and retorque the bolts without damaging the integrity of the bolts as they are 'stretch' bolts?

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated! Thanks everyon in advance!

Bob

 

Stretch bolts are to be tightned only once, and there is no need to retorque as they act as clamping springs. Did you use an angle meter when you torqued them down? Manufacturers have moved away from torquing with a torque wrench because the amont of friction varies from bolt to bolt thus making the resulting clamping force inaccurate.