Folks,

Thanks for all the advice. Not being satisfied with the results of the bbl install, I decided to start over. I pulled everything apart, checked for wear and damage, pulled together a few new parts and tools (especially a new bbl nut), and started over.

Instead of worrying about the precise torque, I just tried to snug the b-tard up three times and go from there. To my immense relief, when snugged, the torque measured about 42 ft. lbs. (the only time I measured it) and had about 1 arc mm. to go to clear the gas tube. Another snugging push and ... done.

Of course, after all was fixed in place, when I decided to loosen my vise to rotate it slightly on the horizontal axis for another job, I accidentally loosened the locking screws too far and dropped the retaining plate into the vise. Today's job? Repair the vise.

Really, thanks for all the help. There ain't no substitute for experience.