Pro tip: Stop over-tightening carburetor bolts on old Fords

A buddy of mine who restores Mustangs watched me torque down the carb on my 1965 Falcon last month. He said I was cranking it way too tight and that would warp the base plate. I changed my approach and now I only go to 12 foot-pounds with a torque wrench. The idle smoothed out and I haven't had any vacuum leaks since. Has anyone else been told they were over-tightening stuff on their classic engines?

2 comments

2 Comments

reese5505d ago

Same thing happened to me with my '68 F100. I used to tighten them by feel and always ended up chasing vacuum leaks after a carb rebuild. Once I grabbed a torque wrench and stuck to the factory spec, everything just worked better. Those old cast iron intakes and aluminum carbs really don't like being over-tightened.

leor3723h ago

That torque wrench lesson translates to way more than just carburetors. I see the same thing with people overtightening oil drain plugs or spark plugs. They think "tight" means "crank it harder" when really it just means "stop at the right number." Same principle applies to lug nuts on a trailer or even the bolts on a lawn mower deck. Folks get in a hurry and muscle things down, then end up stripping threads or cracking something. A $30 torque wrench saves you from buying a new intake manifold or a set of wheels. We've gotten real lazy about using the right tool for the job.