ok fellas this is whats going on . i just got my engine back from my builder it is a 1995 corvette 4 bolt lt1 i have callies 3.875 dragonslayer crank, lunatti 5.85 pro i beam rods and srp pistons with coated bearings. canton oil pan . and after looking at it i notced he did not put any gms [ silicone ] i work for a chevy dealership and thats what we call it. ] on the oil pan gasket so i decided to take the pan off and reinstall it the way i want it. when i get the pan off i found the oil pick up tube was not welded on . so i wanted to check my main bearings to see if my coated ones were installed and they were but i noticed all my bearing caps were torqued to over 85 foot pounds the specs on this from factory are 77 foot pounds on the inner 4 bolt caps and 67 foot pounds on the two outer 2 bolt caps. i know there can be up to 10 pounds differance between torque wrenches and some builders like to go 5 over on the mains. so my question is what should i torque my mains to on the inner and outer caps i would like it a little on the tight side. i am using arp studs and they told me to use factory specs and tpis told me they could all be torqued the same every builder is telling me something different. sorry so long and thanks very much for your help.

 

Most of the rubber pan gaskets out there go on dry(without the use of any silicone or RTV)... putting some, although not recomended, usually wont cause problems, as long as the slippery "un-set" silicone or RTV diddn't cause the end sections to slip out of place on the rear pan's U section, or the front cover area.......I would follow ARP's torque recomendations for their main studs....They designed the studs and bolts and they know whats best for them, just like with all of their other fasteners that most of the time have other than stock torque specs.....(if like you mentioned) ARP is telling you to use the factory 95 corvette 4 bolt main engine BOLT torque specs for your main caps with ARP studs and nuts, then I would do "exactly" what they say....and not listen to TPIS....when I torque mains, I pull the torque wrench smooth, and slightly on the quick side so when you feel the click your just "slightly" past it...it usually equates to about 3-5 LBS tighter this way (thats just me, and the way I was shown from a very reputable oldtime engine builder, and Iv'e never had an issue with doing that on many motor builds).....sounds like a nice set-up good luck with it.......Joe