Do you use torque wrench?
- Thread starter txslg
- Start date
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I’m the charlie daniels of the torque wrench. JK but sammy kershaw kicks azz.
Torque wrench is a must is you wish to achieve any degree of precision.
Torque wrench is a must is you wish to achieve any degree of precision.
I always use a torque wrench on lug nuts and ubolts.
Besides headgaskets and lug nuts I pretty much never do.
A properly torqued, clean, undamaged bolt should not come loose if the design is valid. That said, some loctite 242 won't hurt.
I don't chase every thread and use new bolts / nuts every time so.
I probably have 15 torque wrenches from 1/4" to 3/4" in all flavors and I still use my 30 year old Mac 1/2" impact to tighten stuff way too often. I know that old beast is good for 40 ft/lb at one BRAP. 65 @ BRAP-BRAP and 250 lb/ft at full BRAP-BRAP-BRAP-BRAP-BRAP.
Both my beams still get a workout.
I use a Beam type torque wrench. Yeah, they're slower and not as easy to use. With a clicker unless you send it out regularly to be calibrated you don't know how good or bad it really is. With a beam you can easily see that it is out of calibration (pointer doesn't point to zero) and you can easily re calibrate it (bend the pointer until it does point to zero). Home "calibration" of a clicker is only as good as the person doing it and the reference tools used. If I'm using a torque wrench it is because I want to be sure of something and a home calibration isn't going give me any peace of mind.
What taught me to prefer the beam to the clickers was nearly a whole lost racing season and a huge expense (fortunately not mine) in engine bearings and one billet crankshaft. All due to a clicker that had gone out of calibration. The engine shop that I worked in after that experience had three Snap-On clickers that they used. They kept them in constant rotation. One being used (& each use logged), one just back from being calibrated, and one out being calibrated. They are religiously returned to zero after every use.
What taught me to prefer the beam to the clickers was nearly a whole lost racing season and a huge expense (fortunately not mine) in engine bearings and one billet crankshaft. All due to a clicker that had gone out of calibration. The engine shop that I worked in after that experience had three Snap-On clickers that they used. They kept them in constant rotation. One being used (& each use logged), one just back from being calibrated, and one out being calibrated. They are religiously returned to zero after every use.
