Re Torque Head Bolts Yes/No?

[1990new]

Rosie has just over 600 miles on her new short block and rebuilt head and she is running great.
I've been doing some searches on the forum and elsewhere about the re torque question and answers vary a lot.
The head gasket I put on was a Fel-Pro PT (perma torque) that is not supposed to require any re torque.

So what is the current engineering reality of the re torque question? Should I or shouldn't I?

I was thinking if I'm going to do it, I should get it done before my road trip to Madness.

[errjam]

new short block?? more info please

[1990new]

new short block?? more info please

This says it all. Looks like they have 4 left. You can read all about my experience in my Rosie Project thread (with pictures).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-OEM-Ford...pXM2RH&vxp=mtr

Post #80 show the picture of mine unboxed. I bought it from someone else and it cost me about $75 more at the time. http://www.fordfestiva.com/forums/sh...-Project/page2

[FestYboy]

Since it's such a fresh block and head combo, I would say yes, but drain out some coolant first, and do each bolt individually to avoid any leaks.

I take my last step 10 over on a seasoned block and use copper spray on the gasket before install, no issues yet.

[TominMO]

I don't get the whole retorque issue. When people buy a new car, no one ever retorques their head bolts. And Fel-Pro says no. So why would anyone do this?

Also, a tip: if you spray copper-coat on the HG before installing, wipe off the area right around any oil or coolant passage holes on the gasket. When the gasket gets torqued down, the copper-coat can get squeezed into the passages, possibly causing blockage. I found that this had happened when I switched heads on my Aspire. It wasn't much blockage, but still. I now run my HGs dry. Not saying that copper-coat is a bad idea tho.