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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Torque wrench recommedations

Hi

Any recommendations please for a new torque wrench for use on Spridgets and regular cars (guess I need up to about 80ftlb/110NM in uppermost three quarters of the range?). My 40 year Halfords clicking one is suspect!

I am looking for a good quality brand these days. I am not blessed with access to calibration services unfortunately though to periodically check it or a good used one.

If I was a lottery winner, aircraft or racing car mechanic, I would want a 3/8 inch drive one with a lower torque range and a 1/2 inch one for higher torque figures, but probably like most of us would go for single larger one and careful use of ring spanners for smaller diameter fittings on lower torques. And a QC department to check and calibrate it annually.

Old days , I would be thinking of ‘Britool’ or ‘Norbar’ what is out there now that is good quality and value? Norbar: https://appliedtorque.co.uk/products/torque-wrenches-screwdrivers-and-accessories/torque-wrenches/norbar-torque-wrenches/norbar-click-wrenches/automotive-hand-wrenches-adjustable/

Thanks
Mike
M Wood

Is your Halfords wrench broken? Or do you just not trust its accuracy Mike?

If you have a vice and some weights, you can get a good idea if it reads true as it clicks, by hanging weights off it. Or use a spring gauge, or if a mate has a good wrench, use it to check your own.





anamnesis

One checks the other.

anamnesis

I think one can agonise too much over torque wrench settings. In my earliest days I didn't have one, and guessed the settings. Never had any problems with an A35 and a Mini. I learned all I knew from my dad, who didn't have one either. I helped him bolt together the B-series in the family A50. He was a mechanical engineer and his colleagues called him "Spanner fingers".
Les Rose

see photo

Flip Brühl

Flip, that's brilliant!
Greybeard

I have a Teng tools one
Sold with 'lifetime' guarantee. If I take it back to the dealers they send it off for recalibrating. I don't know what they actually do but it comes back very clean, wrapped and with a certificate. Takes about a week and no charge. Of course I only ever think of doing this when I want to be using it! It's been done twice in about 20 years, due for another visit I think.
GuyW

I'm with Les on this. In the old days I only used a torque wrench (borrowed) for cylinder head nuts/ bolts. The rest was done by "feel". If you weren't sure you got a more experienced mate to check.

Roll on to moderns with ally wheels - definitely best to use a torque wrench. I confess to having a generic one from somewhere like Screwfix - never had it or its predecessor calibrated. But it's more about even-ness of tightening isn't it?

Modern bicycles, especially carbon ones, are "fussy" about over or under tightening so it's best to use a low range torque wrench. Worked on cycles for over 50 years and would have laughed at the idea of using a torque wrench. Everything now seems more "fussy"!
Bill Bretherton

Thanks all, as usual ingenious, informative and interesting responses and some just epic!

That pic of Flip is superb as is Anam’s very clever testing method torque wrench against torque wrench.

I am also normally of the school of careful hands, torquing up carefully by feel and evenly in stages with as others have said saving the torque wrench for cylinder head nuts and a few other things. Most fasteners are low torque on our cars so need careful ring spanner work and use of penetrating fluid rather than high torque which can damage stuff, Modern alloy wheels on a modern have made me reach for the torque wrench (and concerns about loose wheels after changed from winter wheels; retorquing necessary when checking after a few days which made me doubt the torque wrench but also think of checking condition and for corrosion on wheel nuts, including pesky locking nuts which might be the culprits, and studs and cleaning next time, making sure to remove the cleaner and not be tempted to put a bit of copper grease on but also replacing the locking nuts with standard ones).

I found a good value UK manufactured Norbar torque wrench for sale so can now calibrate my old Halfords one (which may have been a Norbar) using Anam’s method; but gotta try out Flip’s method too!

The Norbar is a ‘Nortorque Model 200’ (part number 130104) dual scale 30-150lb/ft and 40-200Nm 1/2 inch drive reversible torque wrench with adjustable settings for the ‘click’: https://www.norbar.com/products/view/product/categoryname/nortorque/rangename/nortorque-adjustable-ratchet-dual-scale-/pname/nortorque-model-200-1-2-adjustable-ratchet-dual-scale-/category_multid/470/range_multid/1565/id/22344 Normal price with other suppliers seems to be about £115-£130 but found one for £69.99 from Zoro Tools delivered (who do seem to get mixed online reviews but delivered this fine to me last week).

Cheers
Mike
M Wood

I too only tend to use a torque wrench on things like heads and other critical things and I have never used one on wheels of any description.

Mike's comment about ring spanners reminded me of something my uncle told me. He worked on aircraft in the FAA in the 50s and 60s and apparently they were allowed to use rings to undo things but to tighten them they had to use open enders and you were in trouble if caught doing otherwise.

Trev
T Mason

Isn’t there something about the length of a spanner being related to the amount of force you can apply to any particular fastener?

i.e. the smaller the head size of the nut or bolt, the shorter the spanner.
Dave O'Neill 2

Dave , that is very true, at least with the well known 'traditional' spanners. They evolved so the length gave a comfortable feel to tightening the specific size of bolt for the average male. Unless you were using excessive force or adding extra leverage you were unlikely to overtighten a bolt when using the appropriate spanner. But I am not sure if that still holds true with different threads these days. Even so, with a little care and practice for what you are doing, most good DIY'ers and professionals can confidently get pretty well the correct torque just by feel.
GuyW

This thread was discussed between 20/04/2024 and 01/05/2024

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