Hello, I am not new to ford engines but it has been awhile, so I have what may be a stupid question, so please bear with me. I recently had the heads rebuilt on a 1981 ford truck,(302), and am ready to reinstall the rocker arms and get the truck back on the road. I have read in one of my manuals that the torque settings for the rockers should be between 17 and 23 ft. lbs. (it has hydraulic lifters). The question, finally, is,do I torque the bolts before running the engine or do I run the bolts to specs while the engine is running?

 

Your ft/lb is correct... Torque to spec prior to running the engine....

 

Thanks for the answer