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Recommended torque wrench?

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  • #1

    Recommended torque wrench?

    I have a couple of 1/2" drive torque wrenches. One is an old-skool Sears bar-with-a-pointer style, and I'm wondering how accurate it is anyway. The other is a (now nonfunctional) Performance Tool cheapo from
    Advance Auto, with a wheel at the head that you turn to make it ratchet left or right, and a twist-grip you set to the torque you want it to click at, telling you to stop torquing. It is broken because I needed a hammer and didn't have one. The wheel thingy no longer lets you select direction.

    So what do you recommend? I'm thinking Sears since I can return it forever. But Advance also has a $35 PT one with the normal short needle selector like you would find on a typical ratchet, and the same twist-grip mechanism to select the final torque. Is this an accurate mechanism?
    Last edited by TominMO; 04-27-2011, 06:14 PM.
    90 Festy (Larry)--B6M (Matt D. modified B6 head), header, 5-speed, Capri XR2 front brakes, many other little mods
    09 Kia Rondo--a Festy on steroids!

    You can avoid reality, but you can't avoid the consequences of avoiding reality--Ayn Rand

    Disaster preparedness

    Tragedy and Hope.....Infowars.com.....The Drudge Report.....Founding Fathers.info

    Think for yourself.....question all authority.....re-evaluate everything you think you know. Red-pill yourself!

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  • #2
    go with snap-on. most accurate and you get what you pay for. i have a couple craftsman ones and they do ok but my snap-on one is the most accurate and the dial for setting the torque is more precise. i only use the bar and pointer style ones for setting pinion crush sleeves in rear ends and measuring rolling resistance.
    07 Chevy 1500. 5.3 E85
    91 Festiva DD B6, M5, AC, PS
    90 Festiva figure 8 racer
    90 Mustang LX, LSX, 4L80. AFONOMO

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    • #3
      ^ i agree to the utmost (sp). i have one like Travis described and it came with a score card that showed how accurate it is (under .5% variation at 20-80% load). i also have a 3/8" digital snap-on that i use for seating head bolts ($550 for it but it does everything). really you want to find someone who sells Precision Instruments brand (they used to manufacture for Snap-on). This one here (i own one of these as well)

      basicaly you want to purchace a "beam" style wrench as they start out accurate and stay that way even if you leave them set at any value. This one would be perfect for you.
      Trees aren't kind to me...

      currently: 2 88Ls (Scrappy and Jersey), 88LX, 90L(Pepe), 91L, 91GL (Skippy) 93 GL Sport (the Mighty Favakk), 94 (Bruce) & 95 Aspire SEs, 97 Aspire (The Joker),
      94 Justy 4WD, 87 Fiero GT, plus 2 parts cars. That's my fleet.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by FestYboy View Post
        ^ i agree to the utmost (sp). i have one like Travis described and it came with a score card that showed how accurate it is (under .5% variation at 20-80% load). i also have a 3/8" digital snap-on that i use for seating head bolts ($550 for it but it does everything). really you want to find someone who sells Precision Instruments brand (they used to manufacture for Snap-on). This one here (i own one of these as well)

        basicaly you want to purchace a "beam" style wrench as they start out accurate and stay that way even if you leave them set at any value. This one would be perfect for you.
        Hmmmm, I don't think I will be buying a torque wrench that costs $50 less than the Festiva I'm using it on! (Paid $600 for this Festy.) I don't have that kinda dough to throw around. But I appreciate your appreciation of good tools. As for the other one, I'm not an eBay kinda guy. Think I'll go see what Sears has. I'll probably torque to 65 rather than risk over-torquing by going to 70 with a less-than-perfectly-accurate wrench.
        90 Festy (Larry)--B6M (Matt D. modified B6 head), header, 5-speed, Capri XR2 front brakes, many other little mods
        09 Kia Rondo--a Festy on steroids!

        You can avoid reality, but you can't avoid the consequences of avoiding reality--Ayn Rand

        Disaster preparedness

        Tragedy and Hope.....Infowars.com.....The Drudge Report.....Founding Fathers.info

        Think for yourself.....question all authority.....re-evaluate everything you think you know. Red-pill yourself!

        Comment

        • #5
          But at 65 it could be undertorqued by the same inaccuracy. I used to have that exact same ebay one. Sold it to father-in-law cause i needed some cash. That thing was great. Cost me $175 new.
          -Bryant

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          • #6
            Originally posted by Gomez View Post
            But at 65 it could be undertorqued by the same inaccuracy. I used to have that exact same ebay one. Sold it to father-in-law cause i needed some cash. That thing was great. Cost me $175 new.
            True, but it splits the difference between 60 (the recommended max) and Festyboy's recommendation of 70, so off by 5 either way is still safe.
            90 Festy (Larry)--B6M (Matt D. modified B6 head), header, 5-speed, Capri XR2 front brakes, many other little mods
            09 Kia Rondo--a Festy on steroids!

            You can avoid reality, but you can't avoid the consequences of avoiding reality--Ayn Rand

            Disaster preparedness

            Tragedy and Hope.....Infowars.com.....The Drudge Report.....Founding Fathers.info

            Think for yourself.....question all authority.....re-evaluate everything you think you know. Red-pill yourself!

            Comment

            • #7
              got me there. That is what I get for assuming.
              -Bryant

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