What is the torque/process to install carb studs in an aluminum intake? These don't bottom out. They are 5/16-18 on one end and 5/16-24 on the other with a dead band in between. I was going to just snug them down with some blue loctite. Seems really cranking them in will swage the start of the thread on the band, but maybe that is what we want? Edelbrock's tech line was busy and the one video I found online looks like he really reefs on it. Don't want to screw up the intake. In the past when I installed studs it was basically finger tight.

Snug. Like just a bit tighter than finger tight. Not a high stress application. No need for Loctite. Nuts should only be snugged with a wrench or small ratchet as well. Overtightening there will distort/warp the carb base.

In my opinion, you don’t want tighten a fastener down by bottoming it out or creating a swedging action like the non threaded middle part of the stud binding into the threads, as you suspect. I always use loctite blue and finger tight. Then put carb on and torque down to spec and let it take a set. Others may have diff method, but that always worked for me and i could get studs out by using hand tools. Studs never loosened up on their own this way for me.

That is how i have always done it.

Tech support called back and that is pretty much what he said and confirmed what I was thinking. Fingy-tight, no loctite, tighten in a X pattern. Seems to work fine. The one video I was able to pull up had the guy reefing them in with double nuts. I have worked with aluminum parts long enough to know that is a recipe for needing to heli-coil it in the future.

Holley says 60-80 lb.in. torque on the hold down fasteners. That's 5-6.5 lb.ft. Just over snug.

I've seen finger tight studs come loose after running, not good
I do use double nuts to install them so there snug, NOT REAL TIGHT
I also make sure and use a flat washer under the nuts and retighten after running the motor long enough with the hood shut to get the intake and carb hot up to running temps to squish the gaskets and get the studs and carb hot