How Tight?

[T Man]

How tight should the valve cover hold downs be? I had it so it was snug, and started to displace the rubber gasket, still leaked like a mother, so, I tightened it waaaaay down. This alright?

[j894]

there are torque specs for them, 72 inch lbs according to this repair guide
http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?ForwardPage=/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/12/a6/3f/0900823d8012a63f.jsp

[Matt 4.3 TBI]

If you're using the rubber felpro-type gaskets, pull the covers back off if they're leaking, put a bit of RTV inside the cover to hold the gaskets in, clean the gaskets and mating surface so it's bone dry, then torque them down to spec. You can still warp them if you overtighten, it just doesn't happen as easily as centerbolts.

[BrianKS10]

If you're using the rubber felpro-type gaskets, pull the covers back off if they're leaking, put a bit of RTV inside the cover to hold the gaskets in, clean the gaskets and mating surface so it's bone dry, then torque them down to spec. You can still warp them if you overtighten, it just doesn't happen as easily as centerbolts.
I had to do the same thing to mine, they were leaking so i coated them with RVT sealant.
brian