Originally posted by Don Shillady
Also you can get a nice torque wrench from Sears, the kind that clicks when you reach the set torque. The kind of torque wrench with a dial pointer is better than nothing but not much.
Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder
I'm not a big fan of "clicker" torque wrenches. I have torsion bar wrenches in 1/2. 3/8. and 1/4. I also have "clickers" in 1/2 and 3/8. My 1/2 clicker is a Mac that I've had recalibrated twice. Once it was off 12% and the other time 9%. My 1/2" torsion bar is an almost 50 year old Craftsman that I've always treated like gold. When I've checked the old Craftsman and the newly recalibrated "clicker," the old torsion bar has been spot on. The clicker has always been light when out of adjustment. When torquing bolts, I'll use the clickers to do the coarse tightning, and the torsion bars to final them in. Rachets make life a lot easier. If the clickers are new or just calibrated, they're great. At 12% soft, there could be serious sealing problems. They only problem with torsion bar wrenches is being carefull that they're not binding on the scale, and they can be rough holding steady at high torque readings. As with mileage, opinions may vary. All the advice you're getting here is excellent, and I urge you to go forward and dooit tooit. Take your time, and when in doubt, ask.