Capper

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. However,
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.

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.