Uh, why not?  That's what I've done to date and none
of my engines have had gasket failures.

tabe johnson/87 westy

>Date:    Wed, 30 Nov 2005 14:08:15 -0500
>From:    Bill Collins <wb6otg@INTREX.NET>
>Subject: Re: torque wrench
>
>>For economy and accuracy there is only one choice: a flexible >beam type.
>
>One more comment on the click type wrenches: They can't be used >for head gaskets or other
>situations where you need to hold the torque for a bit to >compress gaskets.