Need Guidance on Buying My First Torque Wrench

[stevenk9958]

I'm brand new to this forum and just bought a 1978 Fiat 124 Spider that I am going to restore. I'm got an unopened kit from the seller that has all the gaskets needed for the 1.8L engine. In researching torque wrenches on Amazon, I see lots that stop at 80 ft/lbs. Is this going to work for all the bolts I'll encounter on the car (not just the engine) or do I need to go higher, say up to 100 ft/lbs. And will the analog versions work OK, or should I pop for the much more expensive digital ones? Thanks everyone for your help. I'm sure I'll be back here in the future with more questions.

 

[bugsymike]

I'm brand new to this forum and just bought a 1978 Fiat 124 Spider that I am going to restore. I'm got an unopened kit from the seller that has all the gaskets needed for the 1.8L engine. In researching torque wrenches on Amazon, I see lots that stop at 80 ft/lbs. Is this going to work for all the bolts I'll encounter on the car (not just the engine) or do I need to go higher, say up to 100 ft/lbs. And will the analog versions work OK, or should I pop for the much more expensive digital ones? Thanks everyone for your help. I'm sure I'll be back here in the future with more questions.

Personally my main torque wrench is a a Britool make going to around 200 ft/lbs and starts at 20 ft/lbs, I have a smaller one also these days for modern engines with smaller critical bolts.
I would always go for a good well known brand and keep it well oiled, release it's tension back to zero when not using to help keep it more accurate and once set at correct torque I always "click it off" in a vice, so I know it isn't sticking at all.
I personally prefer non digital as more to go wrong.
Beware there are a lot of cheap rubbish ones on the market that are wildly inaccurate, a neighbour asked my advice as he broke several head bolts on his Toyota Starlet, when checked against my Britool one we soon found out why, so he slung his back to the eBay seller!!!

 

[348azeus]

Just to add an extra bit to the other good advice. I have two a 3/8 drive and a 1/2 drive both Teng Tools which a a good middle range. Don’t buy cheap they are a waste of time. On the twin cam engine I used the 3/8 for all nuts and bolts up to 8mm thread diameter and the 1/2 for anything larger.

 

[Twotone2]

I bought an old fashioned beam one from Amazon recently.

Think it was a £15 delivered.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0001K9T24?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

 

[bugsymike]

I bought an old fashioned beam one from Amazon recently.

Think it was a £15 delivered.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0001K9T24?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

I am not a fan of that design personally, I prefer ones that you hear them click off when at correct torque, it is what I am used to I suppose.

 

[The Panda Nut]

I am not a fan of that design personally, I prefer ones that you hear them click off when at correct torque, it is what I am used to I suppose.

I agree the beam typre are a poor relative because its only as good as the line of your eye to the scale even if you have an accurate one. Impossible to calibrate accurately too. Better than nothing and it helps learn what a given torque ft feels like. Im just an ameter but I can get more or less what I want now without the wrench. I like seeing how near I can get without it then checking after. Most bolts you need to do on a car are less than 80. I think mine goes a bit higher 110 I believe and above that I guestimate in degrees or tight, bloody tight and HEAVE. Not very professional!

 

[PuntoHowTo]

First question to answer is what do you want to use it for, if you are removing hub nuts from a 60s beetle then you’ll need something that it enormous and goes up to 10million ft-lb (ask me how I know) and if you are using it to tighten an oil filter to spec then you’ll need something much much smaller.

 

[varesecrazy]

I'm brand new to this forum and just bought a 1978 Fiat 124 Spider that I am going to restore

Thanks everyone for your help. I'm sure I'll be back here in the future with more questions.

Hi and Welcome

This may help cover some of your questions,
AND explain the descriptions and LIMITATIONS

Torque Wrenches - a lifetime's experiences.

I was reading a thread recently where someone was asking about buying and using torque wrenches. This is a subject I've seen on the forum before and, indeed have contributed comment to such threads. So it occurred that my lifetime's experience of these tools might be of interest? So here we go...

www.fiatforum.com

 

[bugsymike]

I agree the beam typre are a poor relative because its only as good as the line of your eye to the scale even if you have an accurate one. Impossible to calibrate accurately too. Better than nothing and it helps learn what a given torque ft feels like. Im just an ameter but I can get more or less what I want now without the wrench. I like seeing how near I can get without it then checking after. Most bolts you need to do on a car are less than 80. I think mine goes a bit higher 110 I believe and above that I guestimate in degrees or tight, bloody tight and HEAVE. Not very professional!

There used to be a joke in the Motortrade that when asked how tight a bolt should be the answer was "Strip the threads and back half a turn!"

 

[Twotone2]

Aye I was only using it for the oil filter and the sump plug which are 25 & 27 nm respectively but the sump plug was basically tight then a nip up the oil filter pretty much the same plus you have to use those articulated socket things and two extension bars to get onto the oil filter cap nut because of the position of it so not easy to actually torque the cap up with that lot on the end of it.

I’ll watch this thread and maybe buy a recommended half inch torque wrench I did check out second hand ones on ebay but gave up on that.