Thanks bwaller- yes there is a special tool which is really just doing what your doing. It sits like a clamp over the rod bolts and locates in the small holes at either end. Idea is that you tighten the bolts with the gauge attached and measure stretch to the required amount.
Here is a good article on how it's done:
http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/116_0609_using_rod_bolt_stretch_tool/viewall.htmlThe CARR bolts according to Buzz at dynoman are apparently the stronger bolts and can be tensioned several times. His response to my questions are as follows:
The instructions that came with your rods are all you need to know. There are 2 different bolts available for the CB750 rods. The WMC bolts that that have a limited number of times that they can be torqued and the stronger CARR bolt that you have that can be torqued many times without problems. The WMC bolts are about $40 less so some people sell them, however we only sell rods with CARR bolts, so you will be fine. It does not matter if they are .001" longer than when they were first installed.
The best way to get the correct torque is to measure the bolts and tighten them to .005" - 007" of stretch. This needs to be done with the bolt lube that comes with the bolts. 40LBS is close, however most torque wrenches are not calibrated as often as they need to be and can give you an incorrect reading. You cannot go wrong if you measure the bolts however.
Hope this provides some insight into it all. I was a little worried thinking the CARR bolts could only be used once or twice, but Buzzs info helps.
Any other comments are welcome
Steven.