Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Ray White]

After many years of use my trusty torque wrench has given up the fight. It is not not worth trying to repair - even if it was possible.

The range of available torque wrenches is vast and the prices range enormously. What I need to know is what should I be looking for in a good quality torque wrench?

Suggestions welcome.

[Da Tow'd]

Warren & Brown deflecting beam torque wrenches are what we use made in Australia.
tall 3/4"-1" torque wrench goes from 200 ft lbs. to 800ft. lbs
middle 1/2" size from 20 ft. lbs to 200 ft. lbs.
small 3/8 0- 16 ft. lbs in inch lbs. and Newton metres

short story
We were traveling and needed a part for my wife's 1992 Volvo 245, I saw a ad in the Auto Trader magazine for a guy that had Volvo parts for sale . I gave him a call and asked for a for the part. He asked how do I know that I needed that part I told him that I did the diagnostic test and that I had a factory Volvo manual. So he said come on out.
I found his place out in the country
. He had a magnificent 8 bay garage and was working alone. He asked to see my Volvo manual probably think it was a Haynes or Chilton books.

He walked with me as I opened the back hatch and opened my tool box to grab the manual when he reached in and grabbed my torque wrenches I had wrapped in a towel with only the handle sticking out.

He said come with me and opened one of his many large tool boxes and there was two of the same W&B torque wrenches.

He told me that they are the only torque wrenches he considered accurate.

Dual signal a small pin pops out and a click can be heard when the torque is reached.
First class tools
Hank

[Ray White]

Thanks Hank. It would seem that the accuracy depends on price as much as anything. The middle range seems to be + /- 3% which is O.K. for car use.

The cheap stuff isn't worth looking at. Even if it performs well it won't last.

What about this?
https://www.toolstop.co.uk/norbar-nortorque-130104-torque-wrench-model-200-dual-scale-push-through-ratchet-1-2-inch-drive-40-0-200-0-n-m-30-0-150-0-lbf-ft-p73983

[Mog]

A long time ago , a mate was rebuilding the engine for his Lotus 7 . He had 2 torque wrenches , the readings were so far apart , he decided to throw them away and use his own judgement .

[roverdriver]

When did one's workshop manual start to mention the torque of fasteners? In my experience with Vintage (pre 1931) vehicles, there was no mention. I was taught that the length of the standard spanner was so designed that the 'average' operator gave the bolts or nuts the correct torque anyway. That is the reason why spanners are larger as the bolt diameter increases.

I imagine that a suitable torque limiting device might be useful on some modern machinery, but do they specify lubricated or dry threads? that makes a huge difference to the torsion applied.

Most of my mechanical work has been done without the use of a sophisticated gadget. The only time I have used one is when tightening cylinder head bolts to endeavour to progressively pull down the head as evenly as possible.
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Dane- roverdriver but not a Viking.

[MikeEdwards]

There's a distinct increase in torque settings on more modern cars - my daily (a 2000 Audi) has torque settings for pretty much everything on the car (and a lot of replace-every-time bolts on service items, but that's another story).

I loaned my torque wrench* to a mate some time ago because he had to remove the plastic trim from the inside of his similarly-aged Jeep, and the book quoted torque settings for the fastenings when refitting it all.

I guess a lot of it is down to using a wider range of materials such as plastics and alloys where the same torque that you'd use in steel or cast iron would be too much.

* Sorry, can't remember what make it is. Something average. I've got a big Britool one as well, that I haven't used. Any of them are more accurate than the old "pointer against bendy rod" version that I used for my first engine rebuild, complete with built-in parallax error. I bought the Britool one from a car boot sale, it's bigger than the rest because my current project is an Audi with an i5 engine, and the crank pulley bolt is tightened to something ridiculously high. I still don't think it's enough, though, it'll still need the torque multiplier. On the other end of the scale I bought a low-range one at the NEC last year, because the modern has some on various engine things that I'd like to have an attempt at getting close to.

[Rick]

Whatever you use, always wind it back off again after being used (sure you all know this). Otherwise it can affect the accuracy of future readings. It was a long time before I found this out!

RJ
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[norustplease]

I have a couple of Norbar wrenches, including one which goes up to 250 ft lb for the hubs on the Citroens.
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1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV

[Ray White]

I think my MG rear hub nuts should be torqued to 130 ft lb... but I can't see why because the tab washer would stop them from undoing and besides the threads are handed. Without the torque wrench I just did them up very tight and left it at that.

The half shafts are not held by the hub nut but separately by six 3/8" half nuts and spring washers (and two slotted set screws) which attach the brake drums.

It's a 3/4 floating axle set up.

Not a brilliant design.

[Bitumen Boy]

Something I could never get my head around is the practice of quoting torque settings for fasteners in such fiddly locations that it's patently impossible to get a torque wrench anywhere near them. You know the sort of thing I mean, the ones where you can just turn it one flat at a time, with an open ended spanner, with your (left) arm at full stretch while bent over in an awkward position that makes it harder to breathe...

[Ray White]

[V8 Nutter]

One 1930's Ford V8 book I have suggests tightening the big end nuts securely using a 6 inch long spanner. Who needs a torque wrench?

[alanb]

I have a draper torque rench I've had it for as long as I can remember it has a protractor type gauge up near the handle and a long indicator rod from the socket hub I've no idea how accurate it is as I've only used it about twice in 50 years, my 1937 Morris has no torque settings in the manual.
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old tourer


Morris 8 two seater

[MVPeters]

I've always understood 'beam' type torque wrenches to be preferable to the 'clicker type, although they are sometimes more difficult/awkward to read.
I think the rationale is that, if a fastener that should be set to 50ftlbs is already set to, say, 60ftlbs & you put a 50ftlbs clicker on it, it will immediately click, leaving the faster over-tightened.
A beam-type will show that the fastener is already over-tight.
The correct way to use either style is to use it to assemble & tighten the fastener to the correct spec.
_________________
Mike - MVPeters at comcast.net
2002 MINI Cooper 'S'

[Ray White]

I also have never used a torque wrench on a pre War car. My Austin Swallow (7hp) has it's own little tools.

Modern cars, however, are built with torque settings and I think they should probably be adhered to. For example, I wouldn't try tightening P38 cylinder heads by guesswork. Too much or too little could result in failure.

I have now decided on a 1/2" drive torque wrench. My wife has bought it for me.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00Y1EX03U/ref=psdc_1939055031_t1_B00Y1EX4Z4