Jim;

Best? I don't know about best, but I prefer any of the formulations which contain graphite, see below, because this will never be baked away (important for head bolts, manifold, exhaust fasteners etc.), and for graphite's crystaline structure...layers, which break apart in shear to lube, even under huge pressure, and after the grease has long been displaced or cooked away.

Mario;

K factor application...Most fasteners are torqued on using the judgement of the mechanic and not a torque gauge*...but in the case of important headbolts, torque specs are given oiled...and this simplifies things tremendously!

I've spoken with Rich L., Application Engineer with Loctite (he will send me some bolt tension charts (NLA) for the graphite containing formulations of C5A, Silver, and Nickel AS products, which relate the dry torques to the lubed torques...I'll evaluate this when I get it and put something together for SwEm site Service Notes page) but he confirmed the following: For headbolts, for which fastening torques are specified for oiled bolts, it is NOT necessary to adjust (decrease) the dry torquespec given, since "lubed by oil" can pretty much be, for the purpose of this discussion, considered to be equal to, "lubed by AS". Soooooooo, torque away...to the numbers given!...Phil's procedure under the "Engine Assembly/Rebuild Tips Request" post sound just fine to me!

*torque gauge: a gauge which measures the torque applied to a fastener. ANY wrench is a "torque wrench", since it applies torque...it's a pet peeve of mine...I just refuse to use and perpetuate unclear nomenclature.

Cheers