[TR] Tools - Optimum torque wrench size?

[Karl Vacek]

All that REALLY has to be torqued on these cars is high-stress stuff like 
main and rod caps, crankshaft nuts, head studs/nuts, some 
transmission/overdrive and rear axle parts, etc.  Front wheel bearings on 
some unmentionable-brand LBC's too.

I've always used the same 120 (as I recall) ft-lb Craftsman beam torque 
wrench, till lately when I began to need a second set of tools, and when I 
began regularly torquing smaller items in the low inch-pound range.  Still 
all beams for me though - all Craftsman too except a neat little Indestro 
low inch-pound one I got off eBay a few weeks ago.

Why beam-style ?  Because they really don't go out of calibration.  The 
clickers should be calibrated fairly often - and there's more to go wrong. 
A beam is pretty much good for life in my type of use.  I did check my 
original once a few years ago - maybe around its 35th year of use - and it 
was closer than I could read the pointer over virtually the whole range.

I use tape marks on the scale for repetitive tasks, and to do something out 
of position, I use tape marks to help "read" the back side of the scale.

Karl



> Up until the need to crank the rear hub's axle nut to 220-250 lbs, the 
> Sears
> 1/2" drive that went to 150 met all my needs for: lug nuts, suspension,
> flywheel, fan eliminator kit etc. I prefer the "click" type because you
> can't always see a dial or a beam but you can hear that click.
>
> Bob