440 - oil pan/windage tray/bolt torque

[74CudaDave]

Hello all,

I'm bolting on my pan and windage tray (Year One tray supplied with rubber gaskets). Torque 'em down to 15 pounds. After a couple days (the engine is on a stand in my garage, doing a slow rebuild), just for giggles I rechecked the torque on the pan bolts and the gaskets had obviously compressed, and a fair bit I might add - over half a turn with the wrench before any torque started grabbing. So I re - torqued them all. Then checked them again a day later - same thing, although SLIGHTLY less travel on the wrench before torque started grabbing. So my question is:

Do I keep re-torquing and squashing these gaskets?
Do I just back everything off and re-torque once and leave it?
Do I ditch the rubber for cork, or will they do the same?

I really don't want this thing to leak after it's installed (lofty goal, I know). I realize I may have to re-torque after the engine has run, but I don't necessarily want to be doing it as often as it seems to be happening on the stand in my garage. I've also never used a windage tray so I don't know how that affects things.

Thanks in advance for your input.
Dave

 

[ramenth]

Personally, anymore, I ditch the gaskets and go right to Mopar and get their gasket maker in a tube.

 

[burntorange70]

I like the cork ones my self. Had good luck with them.

 

[moper]

I'm not a fan of the rubber and prefer cork, but generally once they are heat cycled, they tend to stay put. I would say leave them alone until you've run the engine a bit. It's also easier if you use 3M weatherstrip adhesive and glue the gaskets to the tray. Then they won't squish out and it's easier to clean off the tray than a pan flange.

 

[74CudaDave]

Great info, thanks, guys. I did back them all off and then retorque them, and they seem to be holding now, but I think I might go ahead with the cork instead.