I have a ’69 Road Runner with a worked 440 hooked to a beefed reverse manual valve body 727 and a 3.90 Sure-Grip 8¾˝ rear. It has a new Legendary black interior to go with the Viper red paint. This is primarily a street car that I occasionally run mid-11s with on the strip. I am very meticulous about this car and taking your advice, I always torque my lugnuts to spec. How- ever, I can’t seem to find the torque spec on the valve caps. Can you help? I love your mag, especially your tech articles. You’re my tech hero.
— Tony DeFeo, Staten Island, NY
Tony:
You’ve brought up a very important subject. Next to proper lugnut torque, valve cap torque is one of the most important overlooked maintenance items on a car—something that no one seems to talk about. You didn’t tell me whether your valve caps are plastic or metal as there is a different spec for each. You need to check with the valve cap manufacturer or check the valve cap package for torque specs. You’ll need a special valve cap torque wrench to properly torque the ’caps. The spec is usually in the range of 0.008 to 0.01 in-lbs. No torque wrench? I’ve developed a workaround that’ll put you in the ballpark. Just tighten the ’caps down as hard as you can—with your teeth! And thanks for the kudos.