Buy a torque wrench......a good one...

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

cruiserdan said:
I'm sure that is the case but I still do not like the idea of pounding a fastener to install it, even if it is "controlled" or "buffered" pounding.


This is a personal preference, nothing more. I will only use an impact when I absolutely have to because I do not like the stress it puts on the fastener.




Impact-a-phobia?
 
Ohhhh goooodie, someone helping me justify my torqued out tendencies!!! Of course I agree, I absolutely delight in dialing in my wrench on almost all available fasteners. It soothes the OCD and it is powerful peace of mind that things are right. I have a Craftsman in-lb wrench (invaluable for that tricky 48 in-lbs the FSM calls for for that first nut on the hub) and I have two Craftsman ft-lb wrenches one is for 5 to 80 pounds the other 20 to 120 pounds. I love em!!!

While I will agree that all fasteners should be set with a torque wrench according to the FSM I will admit I almost brought Robbie to tears laughing so hard about how I torqued the nuts on my driveshafts...to get enough of an angle on the shaft to reach the nuts with the socket and torque wrench I had to jack the vehicle up from the frame, drop the front sway bar, put the vehicle in neutral so I could spin the driveshaft to just the right angle to get the damn socket and torque wrench on the nuts straight, then put the vehicle in park so as I torqued the shaft did not turn freely, and then repeat that friggin process four times to get it right. OCD can sometimes cause too many troubles; next time I remove and replace the front driveshaft I'm gonna use a hand wrench, some loctite, and call it goood! :D
 
spartan said:
250# wrenches are common and I have one. I had to look all over creation for a 600# unit when I did my oil and crank seals to get the 305#. Any tricks for that one????


you can do this pretty easily with a long breaker/pipe and heavy duty fish scale attached to the end of it.

length of breaker x reading on fish scale = ft-lbs of torque
 
CruisinGA said:
you can do this pretty easily with a long breaker/pipe and heavy duty fish scale attached to the end of it.

length of breaker x reading on fish scale = ft-lbs of torque


Now I know why you are known as the worst PO!!! :D :flipoff2: :D
 
The Sears brand is good in the USA. THe Sears brand in Canada is crap. They use an offshore supplier for their sockets and wrenches (although Im not sure about the torque wrench). In the USA their handtools are made by KD/Easco, which is a top shelf brand. However, IIRC their torque wrench is made by Wrigth tool mfg - excellent stuff. When I need to get my good old US made craftsman stuff warrantied, I take it to the states for exchange.

BTW, craftsman, wright, KD, snap-on, bluepoint, Mac, etc, all make good wrenches. Just keep an eye for a good deal on one....


Cheers
 
cruiserdan said:
......and learn how to use it!...

Great advise, but it sounds like someone needs a few days of fishing :flipoff2:
 
Or you can go to Lowe's and they carry Kobalt torque wrench supposedly made by Snap On. They are good quality torque wrench with storage case included.
 
ed97fzj80 said:
Maybe I'm misunderstanding what you're saying, but if you couldn't get up the the 76 pounds for the lug nuts, how did you get up to the 90-odd pounds needed for the caliper bolts?


IIRC the early 80 with its conical steel inserts in aluminum wheels takes a higher torque than the flat washer style of the later trucks. 105' lb comes to mind, not sure if that is right, steel wheels on any year take a higher torque.

about 2 years ago I got 3 Snap-On torque wrenches from Ebay, (1/4, 3/8 and 1/2) paid about half of new, all three were in liek new condition, I spot checked them on a digital test stand at work they were dead on through most of the middle of the range and very close at the extremes.

Before that I had a $19.95 parts store torque wrench, it worked OK for 10 years until the ratchet broke, never tested the calibration on that one.
 
Not to hijack too much here, but is there a way (or more specifically a formula or chart) to convert in-lbs. into ft.-lbs. so some of us weekend warriors do not need to purchase a second torque wrench. I just completed my front axle service and I was able to use my ft.-lbs. wrench on everything and just used 10 ft.-lbs. on the adjusting nut per landtank's advice in another thread. This worked out ok, but I'm sure I'll run into some other situation where I'll need to torque to in-lbs. Is this possible or do I need to break down and buy a second wrench?
 
Last edited:
x or / by 12
 
Not to show off the bling factor.............But after borrowing one of these more than once and getting the speach on how to and not to handle it, I just stepped up and bought one. Not cheap, but it works for me. 5-100 ft puonds and also does inch pounds and converts them. It vibrates and beeps when you hit the desired torque and has memory of how many pounds you went over. Also tells you what it was at when you remove a bolt....Kinda cool.
P1010147.webp
P1010148.webp
P1010149.webp
 
Cool wrench. How much?
 
It was one of those purchases I said I'll take it and walked off his truck....$250ish I think....But I have no idea exactly....

But the first night after drinking and playing cards to long we all sat around flexing it so see how high we could get it.....Snap-on carnival here we come.
 
turbocruiser said:
Now I know why you are known as the worst PO!!! :D :flipoff2: :D


If you need a torque wrench for every bolt you install- you don't wrench enough. :flipoff2:


Ain't nothin fallin off my trucks yet :flipoff2: :flipoff2:
 
CruisinGA said:
If you need a torque wrench for every bolt you install- you don't wrench enough. :flipoff2:


Ain't nothin fallin off my trucks yet :flipoff2: :flipoff2:


Well, yer wrong about that; the difference is I wrench on only three vehicles at a time and I can take the time to do it right.



:cheers:
 
I bought the Craftsman inch-lb wrench, and the Craftsman 20-150ft/lb wrench not too long ago. They were on sale for $48 apiece. Much nicer than my Autozone beam wrench.
 
RavenTai said:
IIRC the early 80 with its conical steel inserts in aluminum wheels takes a higher torque than the flat washer style of the later trucks. 105' lb comes to mind, not sure if that is right, steel wheels on any year take a higher torque.

That's what I was missing. Thanks for the clarification. :beer:
 
4x4CPOSEADOG said:
Or you can go to Lowe's and they carry Kobalt torque wrench supposedly made by Snap On. They are good quality torque wrench with storage case included.


I was under that impression too until recently. As I understand it Kobalt were, for a time, made in a Snap-On plant but not to the same specifications or standards. Based on what I've read online currently Kobalt tools are made by Danaher. That said, I've been satisified with most Kobalt tools I've purchased. Just wanted to point out that Kobalt = Snap-On is a common misconception.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom