Could someone please tell me how much to torque the thermostat cover thing? I have a 350 that I recently changed the intake manifold and am just getting back together. I put it back together with gasket sealer but didn't want to over tighten and maybe crack the thing so it leaks a bit. Thanks for your help..........

normal wrench tight. Not finger, Not killer, and certainly not cheater bar tight. If you grunt, its way too tight.

Thanks Tom. Tight enough not to leak. I can do that, thanks for replaying....

Like Tom, I usually go by feel and intuition. The thermostat housing doesn't hold back a significant amount of pressure. If you over tighten it, it can distort the housing and cause a leak. Stripping the threads is another possibility.

Its a good idea to put thread sealant on the bolts. I usually use gorilla snot sealer on the paper gasket. Tighten it evenly, don't run one bolt down to final torque and then the other. Instead, get both bolts ran down till the heads meet the housing and then tighten each until snug.

Thanks Dave. I'll put a light film of sealant on the bolt threads too. I hadn't thought of that....

normal wrench tight. Not finger, Not killer, and certainly not cheater bar tight. If you grunt, its way too tight.

thats exactly what is say's in the book!!!! lol

That's what cha call torquing it to :grunt: ft*lbs. :D