Decent Torque Wrench for Engine Assembly?

[Mike E.]

I got a call from the machine shop today that my block is done so soon I will be ready to start assembling the block. I have a co-worker that has built several engines and seems to know what he's doing and is willing to help out. Every now and then I like to treat myself to a decent high quality tool so this seems like a great excuse to purchase a torque wrench. I have a couple of crappy Harbor Freight T-wrenches, but I don't want to trust them for something like engine assembly. Not sure I want to pop full price for Snap-On from what I've been reading CDI seems like a pretty good value. They are American made and come with calibration certificates. I've ordered from ToolsDelivered.com in the past and they have provided excellent service. The range I'm looking at is 5-75 ft. lb. Does this wrench seem like it would be the right choice for assembling a small block?


Thanks!
Mike

[Gary R.]

Re: Decent Torque Wrench for Engine Assembly?

I use CDI dial TW's, 0-30in/lb and 0-200 ft/lb, I believe they also make Snap - On TW. I have no issues with them. I would think you would want to get one with a higher rating then 75 for general use. The dial wrenches I like the best but the clicker and beams have their place. The Husky 1/2 drive " house depot" wrenches don't last long. I went through 3 or 4 of them and now they no longer have a lifetime warranty. The ratchet teeth break off.

[Mike M.]

Re: Decent Torque Wrench for Engine Assembly?

ebay has used snap on torque wrenches. good luck.mike

[Mike E.]

Re: Decent Torque Wrench for Engine Assembly?

I use CDI dial TW's, 0-30in/lb and 0-200 ft/lb, I believe they also make Snap - On TW. I have no issues with them. I would think you would want to get one with a higher rating then 75 for general use. The dial wrenches I like the best but the clicker and beams have their place. The Husky 1/2 drive " house depot" wrenches don't last long. I went through 3 or 4 of them and now they no longer have a lifetime warranty. The ratchet teeth break off.

Thanks Gary!

When I put together my steering box I bought the same wrench you have. Another reason I was leaning towards the CDI, it seems like a pretty high quality tool. That's a good point though. Perhaps a clicker isn't the right tool for the job. That's why I'm asking

Where I came up with the range was from this table in the service manual. The 5-75 Ft. lb. seemed to fit all of these specs.



Mike

[Gary R.]

Re: Decent Torque Wrench for Engine Assembly?

Mike The clicker will work as will a good beam TW. I use different TW for different jobs. When I am torqueing a diff bearing cap to either 60 or 100 ft/lb I use the dial. When I'm setting up rear bearings in my fixture or final install I use a clicker set to 100 ft/lb. As you mentioned for boxes I use the dial but when installing the pitman arm nut I go to the 200ft/lb dial.. I use a wider range too, for common parts on an engine my old Craftsman clicker up to 150 ft/lb was good. I have 6 different TW I use, again depending on the job. Get the one you will use the most, if you're just doing one car a clicker will work just don't go undersize.

[Phil W.]

Re: Decent Torque Wrench for Engine Assembly?

Mike, I just bought a CDI 3/8" drive TW Model# 1002MFRMH off Amazon for $113.09. It's range is 20-100ft lbs. The quality is great for the money and it also comes with a hard plastic storage case.

[Paul J.]

Re: Decent Torque Wrench for Engine Assembly?

Mike The clicker will work as will a good beam TW. I use different TW for different jobs. When I am torqueing a diff bearing cap to either 60 or 100 ft/lb I use the dial. When I'm setting up rear bearings in my fixture or final install I use a clicker set to 100 ft/lb. As you mentioned for boxes I use the dial but when installing the pitman arm nut I go to the 200ft/lb dial.. I use a wider range too, for common parts on an engine my old Craftsman clicker up to 150 ft/lb was good. I have 6 different TW I use, again depending on the job. Get the one you will use the most, if you're just doing one car a clicker will work just don't go undersize.

Mike,

Several years ago my kids gave me a Craftsman 150 ft/lb clicker type wrench, as I had started working on trucks and my trusty 40 year old 100 ft/lb J.C.Penney wrench wasn't enough. The Craftsman wrench does a good job, it's pretty accurate, and you can't beat the warranty replacement process if you break it. I do not know who made it, but the quality is good enough. Remember that torque values have ranges so the idea is to get as close as you can, but it doesn't have to be exact. I've also noticed that two people with the same wrench can get a different torque reading.

Paul

[Michael G.]

Re: Decent Torque Wrench for Engine Assembly?

I wouldn't use just one wrench for the range of torque values you are concerned with. A small torque wrench is much better than a big one for assembly torques in 5-20 ft lb range.

[Michael H.]

Re: Decent Torque Wrench for Engine Assembly?

Look on E-Bay as I purchased some nice quality Proto Torque wrenchs very reasonabily priced and most of them were almost new.

[Tom B.]

Re: Decent Torque Wrench for Engine Assembly?

I have a couple of beam wrenches I have used for years and some clickers and a harbor Freight inch pounds. You need both inch pound and foot pound wrenches. Check the tech articles on Hot Rod Magazine and Car Craft Magazine online. One of them did a test a while back. They bought a selection of wrenches, both expensive and cheap. They took them out and had them calibrated before using them. They used them in identical service over a period of time. Then they took them all back in and had the calibration checked again and printed the results. They all did well but to me the big story was that the Harbor Freight ones held their calibration better than some of the most expensive ones.

Maybe you should have your Harbor Frieghts checked before shelling out the $$ for a big name. I would have any torque wrench I bought used calibrated before trusting my new engine to it. There must be some reason it's for sale.

Tom

[Terry M.]

Re: Decent Torque Wrench for Engine Assembly?

Mike,

Several years ago my kids gave me a Craftsman 150 ft/lb clicker type wrench, as I had started working on trucks and my trusty 40 year old 100 ft/lb J.C.Penney wrench wasn't enough. The Craftsman wrench does a good job, it's pretty accurate, and you can't beat the warranty replacement process if you break it. I do not know who made it, but the quality is good enough. Remember that torque values have ranges so the idea is to get as close as you can, but it doesn't have to be exact. I've also noticed that two people with the same wrench can get a different torque reading.

Paul

Paul,
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Craftsman only guarantees torque wrenches for 90 days. I am not suggesting they are not good tools, and I have one, but don't count on a lifetime guarantee. I generally use my Snap-on electronic torque wrenches. I got the 1/2-inch 200ft/lbs from the truck (traded in a broken clicker), and the 3/8 and 1/4-inch from eBay. Shortly after I bought them they came out with the ones that not only measure torque but also the angle of rotation. The good news is that so far I have not had a reason to work on anything that needs torque angle.

[Steven B.]

Re: Decent Torque Wrench for Engine Assembly?

Along the lines of what Tom suggests; in the 70's I had always thought that expensive often translated into better tools. I was at a respected engine builders in Stayton, Oregon visiting after having some machining done to a small block I had. One of the machinists came in to his office and said "we broke another one". He was referring to a beam type torque wrench. I asked Everett why they weren't using click type torque wrenches. He told me that when you torque a bolt and you reach the torque value you want, you need to hold the torque for short period of time because a bolt will continue to turn or creep until it actually settles at the necessary torque. He told me that they were using inexpensive torque wrenches, but that they might need to switch brands. I know that there are a lot of opinions concerning tools, and mine is just one of many. I do have a click type torque wrench but it is relegated to things like lug nuts and similar situations. If I'm going to torque head bolts for example, I grab my trusty beam type torque wrench which I've had for many years. It still gets the job done and accurately.

Steve

[Michael G.]

Re: Decent Torque Wrench for Engine Assembly?

Steve, the guy who told you about the need to "hold a torque for a short period of time" was wrong. It doesn't make any difference. When you tighten things, you are really compressing them, like a spring. When you compress them, they stay compressed (like springs), in the short term. "Creep" is really termed "relaxation" of the fastened joint. Its caused by variation in the joint that allows the "springs" to relax. It happens gradually, usually over a long time, and varies with the loads, materials and surfaces involved. You can't do a thing about it during tightening.

Any torque wrench can deliver an accurate torque, if it is reasonably calibrated and used properly. More importantly, the torque specs that GM list for its attachments are developed by engineers who understand that torque wrenches are not accurate and that technique matters a lot. That is why they always give you a range of say, 14-20 ft-lbs. They know 12 ft-lbs will usually deliver the clamp-load they require to keep things together and that 22 ft-lbs will clamp things so much that the bolt may break. Then they consider part variation, finish variation, tightening errors, and establish a 14-20 tightening spec, such that a mechanic can safely use any reasonably accurate torque wrench and shoot for 17 ft-lbs and he'll be good. So, if the spec is 14-20 and you try to tighten to 17 ft-lbs with any reasonably calibrated device, you'll be fine.

Their are exception to this, of course, and much more sophisticated tightening strategies available, but you're not going to see them on an old Corvette.

[Jeffrey S.]

Re: Decent Torque Wrench for Engine Assembly?

Speaking of Harbor Freight and torque wrenches- the last time I was there I saw a gadget that attaches to any ratchet handle and it becomes a digital torque wrench. It was relatively inexpensive and displays torque digitally. Any comments? Anyone have any experience with one?
Jeff

[Paul J.]

Re: Decent Torque Wrench for Engine Assembly?

Paul,
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Craftsman only guarantees torque wrenches for 90 days. I am not suggesting they are not good tools, and I have one, but don't count on a lifetime guarantee. I generally use my Snap-on electronic torque wrenches. I got the 1/2-inch 200ft/lbs from the truck (traded in a broken clicker), and the 3/8 and 1/4-inch from eBay. Shortly after I bought them they came out with the ones that not only measure torque but also the angle of rotation. The good news is that so far I have not had a reason to work on anything that needs torque angle.

Thanks, Terry. You've saved me some frustration at the counter should I ever break it. Hopefully, it will last longer than the 40 year old Penney wrench and one of my kids will have to worry about it.

Paul