How many torque wrenches???

[jaysonb]

I pulled the motor out of my 71 chevy truck to freshen it up with new gaskets, oil pump, timing chain,valve seals, and what ever else it look like it needs. I looked up the touque specs (it's a 350) and it looks like a large range of touques. I guess the oil pan, timing cover, and stuff like that I can just go by feel, the rest of the stuff is about 20 to 70 foot pounds. Any body have any suggestions on a mid priced torque wrench that will cover this range? If a torque wrenches rating is for say 20 to 150 foot pounds, you can't use the top or bottom 20% of that right? Or is the useable range 20 to 150? Thanks!

 

[dankicksass]

I prefer to do motors with deflecting beam Craftsman torque wrenches. Accurate through the whole range, they're the only torque wrenches I know of with a lifetime replacement guarantee, under $50 for the pair.

 

[Stick Figure]

I still like my precision instruments pieces best.

 

[BerninicaCO3]

I'm interested on advice here too. Bought a cheap torque ratchet wrench at salvo auto parts, and it's not accurate at all. I just use it like a regular wrench now; it never ratchets at anywhere close the torque setting you give it.

I don't need a torque wrench that's supposed to ratchet past the set torque: I'd rather have one that reliably tells me what torque I'm applying, and then I'll just back off when it hits that number.

The deflecting beam wrenches, is there any risk of overtorquing if the metal ever work hardens with use, and loses accuracy...?

 

[jaysonb]

I prefer to do motors with deflecting beam Craftsman torque wrenches. Accurate through the whole range, they're the only torque wrenches I know of with a lifetime replacement guarantee, under $50 for the pair.

The engine is on a stand, so seeing the meter wouldn't be a problem. If they are accurate through the full scale they would work great, and cheap to.

 

[wornoutoldman]

I'm no fan of cheap torque wrenches. Do yourself a favor and scour Craigslist and ebay for 1/2 in (for main bearings and crankshaft pulleys) and a 3/8 for every thing else Quality Brand Click Type like Snap-On, Mac, Matco you get the idea. You'll be glad you did when your still using them 30 years later. Remember to unload them back to zero before putting them away to maintain accuracy.

 

[mrholeshot]

A 20-150 will do anything you want to do on that engine. Don't worry about the upper and lower range as a quality torque wrench will be within spec at both ends of the range. The most important thing is the bolts are torqued evenly than within a a few % points of the torque. This is the reason that most torque ratings give you some flexibility. But yes you can use a torque wrench through it's entire scale. The beam style is cheap and accurate.

 

[speed bump]

CDI or precision instruments make good torque wrenches and the prices aren't bad either.

Personally I prefer electronic torque wrenches becuase if some on did a half way decent calibration curve for them they are more accurate than anything for the whole range.

 

[speed bump]

CDI or precision instruments make good torque wrenches and the prices aren't bad either.

Personally I prefer electronic torque wrenches becuase if some on did a half way decent calibration curve for them they are more accurate than anything for the whole range.

 

[rodm1]

I still like my precision instruments pieces best.

me to.

 

[HomeBrewA4]

I've been building 400+ awhp Audi/VW 20v/Turbo motors spinning to 8k-8500 with craftsman beam style. I love them for the manual accuracy. If you read around, there was a torque wrench thread not long ago and there are a few people on this board who work for calibrating shops and were talking about the digital/click style truck brands being off more then HF in a lot of cases. I have an old digital SO 3/8 and it zero's out on me mid pull sometimes. 23 bucks and I fixed the problem.

 

[mrholeshot]

If you read around, there was a torque wrench thread not long ago and there are a few people on this board who work for calibrating shops and were talking about the digital/click style truck brands being off more then HF in a lot of cases. .

How about giving us a link to that thread. I think you may have misread that information.

 

[Lawton]

You're getting 400+ HP out of a 1.8L Engine? (Is this Dyno'd HP or K&N Filter bolt on HP?)
BTW, 4wd Quattro burnouts are pretty amazing....and sometimes pretty expensive!

Apologies in advance for the thread hijack.

Lawton

"I've been building 400+ awhp Audi/VW 20v/Turbo motors spinning to 8k-8500 with craftsman beam style."

 

[SLOCOBRAR]

i,ve got an old proto los angeles beam torque wrench with a thing on the scale you set at the desired torque reading to click. pretty cool

 

[jaysonb]

I like the looks of the precision instruments 3/8 drive that covers 20-100 ft lbs. it has a fair price as well. Any thoughts on covering the gap up to 20 ft lbs? Can a guy use the CM 3/8 beam type accuratly at the lower touques, like 7 or 8 ft lbs? Thanks for the great input guys!

 

[mrholeshot]

I like the looks of the precision instruments 3/8 drive that covers 20-100 ft lbs. it has a fair price as well. Any thoughts on covering the gap up to 20 ft lbs? Can a guy use the CM 3/8 beam type accuratly at the lower touques, like 7 or 8 ft lbs? Thanks for the great input guys!

When the torque falls below 20 ftlbs move to inch lbs. 12 inch lbs to every foot lb. ie 7 ft lb = 84 inch lbs

 

[HomeBrewA4]

You're getting 400+ HP out of a 1.8L Engine? (Is this Dyno'd HP or K&N Filter bolt on HP?)
BTW, 4wd Quattro burnouts are pretty amazing....and sometimes pretty expensive!

Apologies in advance for the thread hijack.

Lawton

"I've been building 400+ awhp Audi/VW 20v/Turbo motors spinning to 8k-8500 with craftsman beam style."

400 is a mark that has been achieved for years. I am currently building a 2.1 stroker (1.8 block bored to 83mm, tdi 95.5 crank) that once the head is fully built, should see 500 with no problems.

Quattro being all mechanical on the Audi's, you can break an axle and that is about it. Center diffs never go, rear diffs are solid, front diffs are solid.

 

[HomeBrewA4]

How about giving us a link to that thread. I think you may have misread that information.

Here is a quote from the "craftsman torque wrench" thread. I have read in another thread when I first joined that some of the guys in the posts shop (or works with said poster of the comment) that guys have had HF wrenches for 8-9-10 years that still are perfectly within spec and that they have had trouble getting brand new, truck brands to be within spec.

I have had to send back several expensive torque wrenches brand new out of the box because they couldn't get in that spec... Snap On, Matco, MAC, Armstrong, etc.

as for the zeroing out. that is personal experience. also not uncommon from random reviews online (from all brands of the digital, craftsman especially, but some of the SO and Mac's are doing the same, some replaced batteries and been fine)

 

[strelnik]

CDI or precision instruments make good torque wrenches and the prices aren't bad either.

Personally I prefer electronic torque wrenches becuase if some on did a half way decent calibration curve for them they are more accurate than anything for the whole range.

You are right. I had a business calibrating torque wrenches, and was amazed at what passes for correct torque. Calibration with the right tools is not difficult, and deflecting beam torque wrenches are accurate, but sometimes inconvenient. Depends on whether or not you also need to stretch the bolt after it reaches its correct torque.

Whatever you do, get the wrench calibrated. If you want to avoid fraud, ask the guy who calibrates it how he does it. If he uses anything other than weights, such as break torque set-ups, you are wasting your money.