Crowfoot Wrench Recommendations for Re-Torquing 2F/3FE Head Bolts

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4Cruisers

4Cruisers

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I'm close to the point of needing to retorque the head bolts on my recently broken in 3FE, and have the information I think I need with one exception - what size crowfoot wrench will I need to reach some of the bolts? Do the bolts have 19mm heads? And my old dial Craftsman torque wrench is 1/2" drive, so I need to factor that in. And I'm open to adding to my collection of torque wrenches to get 3/8" drive, my largest ratcheting torque wrench only goes up to 75 ft-lbs. Any suggestions on torque wrench/crowfoot wrench combinations would be appreciated.
 
The only one you would need that for is the one center most bolt under the rocker assembly. I’m not sure that a crows foot would reach it either, or would be strong enough, I’ve broke/bent open a few of them. Haven’t tried using a crows foot in this particular situation. If the engine was put together right you shouldn’t need to do any “retorqing”. Check one or two head bolts if you are feeling like it.
 
Like he said, only the middle bolt do you need one. I did buy a set tho. Those bolts are 19mm if I remember right. They don’t seem to be sold in singles. I think mine are 3/8 same as my long time borrowed snap-on torque wrench which is 100ft/lbs.
 
NeverGiveUpYota said:
Like he said, only the middle bolt do you need one. I did buy a set tho. Those bolts are 19mm if I remember right. They don’t seem to be sold in singles. I think mine are 3/8 same as my long time borrowed snap-on torque wrench which is 100ft/lbs.
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I may just go ahead and upgrade my biggest torque wrench to 100 ft-lbs, and go with a 3/8" drive. Can't seem to find any 1/2" drive crowfoots in 19mm. There are quite a few other projects on the horizon, mainly for my '71 and '76 FJ40s, where a better torque wrench would come in handy.

And on the 3FE, there are several more head bolts that are inaccessible without removing the air plenum and a lot of other parts, much more to remove than to do a warm valve adjustment. I do have a spare 3FE cylinder head with valve train I can look at in more detail to see how to access all 15 bolts.
 
I've used a flare nut type crows foot to check head bolts, no issues so far. mine is a 3/8" drive, I use an adaptor to 1/2" drive, I don't think I've adjusted the torque value but you should adjust torque value slightly as you are not directly over the head of the bolt.
 
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^^^^
That’s what I got too. Much better corners on that type so it stays on the bolt better.
 
Thanks for all the input, I'll start looking into torque wrenches. And I ran across a thread on a machinists forum that indicates no need to adjust the torque values if the crowfoot is at 90* to the longitudinal axis of the torque wrench - the lever arm stays the same. Here's a link:

Torque with a crows foot

Looks like I'll be bolting up the rocker assembly to my spare 3FE cylinder head in the morning to mock things up.
 
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The lazy way to retorque the center head bolt is trying to attempt it with a crow's foot. The correct way to do it is remove the rocker assembly. Only takes a couple minutes. I've tried the crows foot method. Breaking free a tight bolt before retorquing it is pretty much impossible with a 3/8" drive 19mm crow. 1/2" drive isn't available in that size. Personally I don't like using it. I'd rather remove the rocker assy.
 
OSS said:
The lazy way to retorque the center head bolt is trying to attempt it with a crow's foot. The correct way to do it is remove the rocker assembly. Only takes a couple minutes. I've tried the crows foot method. Breaking free a tight bolt before retorquing it is pretty much impossible with a 3/8" drive 19mm crow. 1/2" drive isn't available in that size. Personally I don't like using it. I'd rather remove the rocker assy.
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I'll try that with my mock-up tomorrow. As you said, the lazy way is to minimize the amount of "stuff" to be removed from the 3FE for access. Adding the rocker assembly to the list is not a big deal.

I've been looking at split beam torque wrenches with a flex ratchet, 3/8" drive, 20 to 100 ft-lbs. They look like a better tool for a lot of the heavier-duty Land Cruiser work I run into. I like the low profile also. This would be a replacement for my old Craftsman drive beam style torque wrench. Here's a link to a tool I'm considering:

3/8'' Dr 20 - 100 Ft Lbs Precision Inst Flex Ratchet Split Beam Torque Wrench - C2FR100F

Does this look like a good tool for the head bolt re-torque?
 
Found out the tool is made in the USA, and is basically the same wrench branded as Snap-On. I can get it from Amazon for less than $130, and have it Sunday. Gets very good reviews also.

Placed my order and will have it Sunday, I added a 19mm 3/8" drive flare nut crowfoot wrench to the order in case I get lazy :).
 
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Again, don’t see why you should need to mess with bolts that are almost 100ft-lbs.. they aren’t going anywhere.

The consensus on this forum that your need to “retorque” head bolts after 100 or whatever miles is a complete myth. I don’t know where that came from.

And breaking head bolts loose on a running condition engine and re-tightening them? That is ASKING for a blown head gasket.

Go out and enjoy your fresh truck!
 
cruisermatt said:
Again, don’t see why you should need to mess with bolts that are almost 100ft-lbs.. they aren’t going anywhere.

The consensus on this forum that your need to “retorque” head bolts after 100 or whatever miles is a complete myth. I don’t know where that came from.

And breaking head bolts loose on a running condition engine and re-tightening them? That is ASKING for a blown head gasket.

Go out and enjoy your fresh truck!
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Called my engine rebuilder and he said the same thing - no need to re-torque. Once I shake this sinus infection I'll take my wife for a drive into the mountains behind town to finish the break-in.
 
I retorqued the head on my '77 2F twice (100 miles and 1000 miles), and a couple of bolts needed some additional torque. I bought a cheap set of crow's foot wrenches from Harbor Fright (sic), and they worked just fine. The 2F is quite forgiving, but I feel better having checked things down the road a bit. I would never loosen and retighten, however.
 
So did I, and that’s what I’ve done. No problems so far, knock on wood.
 
I guess my definition was just 'adding torque until it once-again reaches the spec'. YMMV, as they say.
 
19mm torque adapter works great.

NWMDC
 
What the heck?!? I love that lil guy. Must have a set (do they come in a set?). My next birthday present to me
 
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