Mr. J
i would not suggest using red loctite regularly on a race car, except in non-suspension assemblies, that are not subject to drift, as you point out and will not be removed for the season. It does harden and torque testing will be non-sensical, unless you break it loose and it must be re-applied. Other loctites might be OK. i don't use it, never have and never (yet, Lord) had a bolt come adrift or sheer either. i am a fan of washers and lockwashers. i don't like oval nuts or insert nuts, either. For instance, on steel aircraft exhaust manifolds installed on air-cooled aly engines, i have often used double nuts (jammed nuts), which is the only thing i have found that safely retains the parts of some exhaust manifold after the gasket fails. But, i would be willing to listen to another opinion here.
Yes, you are correct that regular re-torquing of all suspension and gearbox and steering assemblies is an absolute necessity before the next race. As your experience will verify, most bits either don't drift or always drift in the same predictable way and after a while you can learn what is changing or not quite the same as usual, a hint to a problem.
Some folks don't have a regular schedule for their torque testing, though, because their bits are not really stressed that bad.
i haven't yet seem much here on bolt-stretch vs torque measurement as a proper definition of proper tightness. While i realize that bolt stretch is mostly an engine rod-bolt issue for most of us, isn't it helpful in other places? Clutches? Caps? Head bolts?
Here is an article on Torquing for Tightness:
http://www.assemblymag.com/CDA/Artic...124164,00.html
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But, anything driving around Sebring will need major repairs, as well as re-torquing. It is indeed awful and always has been awful. The humps and heaves in the last turn tests everyones skills and bolts.
Your spelling is indeed in need of some modest improvement. It reads like you are growling or something. While that may be true, it deflects from your content and reduces your effectiveness.
You might try lifting your post before submitting, paste to a temporary page and use your spell checker. Then copy that back to replace your original and toggle 'submit reply.' With practice and patience, in less than 30 days you will see a remarkable improvement.
And so will we, she hoped.