New Blower Installation Question

streetfiveo

New Member
Jul 4, 2004
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Just got a Vortech HO kit for my 93 GT. Car has Edelbrock performer heads, Cobra intake, Crane 2031 cam etc.
Heads have ARP studs but no o-rings.
Should I re-torque heads before installing blower to help avoid blown gaskets????
 
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If by re-torque you mean actually backing off of them one at a time, and then pulling back up to the specified torque - it's probably a choice you'll have to make. Some will say yes; some will say no. Simply putting the clicker wrench on it set to the torque and pulling til it clicks won't tell you anything. The problem is that in order to turn the bolt you have to significantly exceed the torque it's at to get it to start moving. And then you'll be too tight. So you can't really "check" the torque. You can either leave them alone, or back off of them by 20-30 ft-lbs. and retighten. There's no other alternative unless you replace them. Furthermore, you need to be certain what type of head bolts are in the car before you re-torque. Torque to yield fasteners actually yield when they are tightened properly, and can only be torqued once safely. If you really want to make the most out of your supercharger - if it were me, I'd pull the heads, clean things up, put on new head gaskets (the supercharger crowd will tell you what brand to use), new ARP fasteners freshly torqued to the proper setting.
 
You have ARP studs, so you could "re-torque" them if you really wanted to.
I would just be sure to have a proper tune with the right A/F ratio and not to much timming and you will be fine.
It's not the boost that's going to blow a HG, it's the tune (or lack of).