Head nut order

Torque in the above order, in stages of 15, 20, 22lbs, leave for a bit, while you clear up and have a coffee. Then tap around each stud with a hammer and a short length of broomstick etc and in the above order again, tackle each nut in turn, backing it off a fraction, then smoothly torquing to 25lbs.

Fit the valve gear etc and fill coolant, run the engine to temp, switch off and leave overnight. Next day, remove valve gear and, in order back-off and re-torque each nut again, this time to 27lbs.

The reason for this is that the metal mesh in modern gaskets is made for today's gasket requirements of much higher torque, and doesn't crush into shape so easily as in old gaskets. Because of the engines being alloy we cannot overtorque too far, but 27 lbs has never caused me any problems.

Some gaskets now have a red line of silicone around. They are meant to be run for a short time dry then torqued to set the seal. That is something I don't dare do, so you're on yer own there!

BUT one thing I would emphasise is that revisiting the head seal to retorque after 200 / 500 miles seems folly to me. If it's not leaking by then it won't, unless you disturb it, and if a leak has started, it will not be stopped by a retorque, but will merely grow and become a problem over the next year or three.