Alternative to torque wrench

[nomad]

Personally, I use common sense, and stand on the torque wrench with one foot as described. It`s easy to balance for the moments it takes. It works for me so I`m happy.
Jim

I'm with you Jim. Its easy to come up with a solution for the larger torque settings with a bit of math. Also if your wrench needs an extension add a piece of pipe!


Kurt.

[GrUmPyBoDgEr]

If you put a loop of rope onto your lever, you could hold it in your preferred position by putting a jubilee clip each side of the rope. Then you could put your foot or feet or other weight in the rope loop and achieve good accuracy, provided the lever was actually horizontal at the finish. Like John, I think if I did it, I'd have difficulty.
Pity we can't get Lowe's prices in the UK. $60 is ?37.79!!!

I'm just lovin' this

[billwill]

Not an Elan, but at home I once had to remove a wheel from my Renault Espace after a garage had done up the wheel bolts with a pneumatic spanner.

None of the above tricks worked at getting the wheel bolts undone and from standing on the Renault-supplied wheel-nut spanner it actually sheared the head off at the weld

Then I tried a big cross-shaped wheel-nut spanner that I own with its arms about 1 foot 6" long. this was easier to balance because the arm away from the wheel bolt could be supported on the top of a lifting jack. But alas my 80 kilos weight was not enough to loosen the nut.

Finally really annoyed now, I went to my back garden and fetched an 8 foot length of scaffold pole that I had there and slipped the open end over the crossbrace. Starting with the pole pointing upwards at about 30 degrees, it then turned out easy peasy to undo the wheelbolts; the weight of the scaffold pole was almost enough on its own at that distance from the wheel.

I hate to think what force I was actually exerting there though and its a wonder that the wheel bolts didn't shear off.


~~~~~

Also really annoyed at that garage, because if I had had a puncture out on the road and needed to change that wheel it would have been impossible without calling in a heavy gang from the RAC.

[MickG]

That's why I tighten my own wheel nuts.

Mick G

[Galwaylotus]

Who's your favourite character Jim; Barney Rubble or Fred Flintstone?

Deadly accurate, though, as long as the final tightening has the bar perfectly horizontal!!

[Galwaylotus]

That's why I tighten my own wheel nuts.

Mick G

I always check the wheel nut torque after a wheel is changed, either by me or by a garage and I ask them not to use a pneumatic wrench!! I drive the relatively short distance home and use a torque spanner in stages to the specified torque value. OTT? Maybe but I feel secure then particularly if it's my wife's or daughter's car!!!

[mac5777]

Sarto here, I did offer Lowe's Torque wrench for a time. It sold for $120.00 with tax and if I purchased a quantity, I could offer it as part of my wheel Kit for $85.00. The shipping cost in the US was still a deal but to ship internationally was high due to the size of the box. Lowe's now offers the same wrench for $59.99 + tax ($65.00) USD my cost. That is hard to beat for a torque wrench that works with a warranty. To help those who are using a knockoff tool and need a Torque wrench and are willing to put together a bulk purchasing group, I would be willing to box them to see what the shipping would be. My guess, the more that can be in one box the cheaper the cost.
It would have to be shipped to one location. I'll check the shipping for one and see what they add to the cost by adding more. There has to be a number of units that lowers shipping cost to each.
I don't know what, if any, customs fees might be. Let me know if anyone would be interested.
Lowe's Torque Wrench is a 50 to 250, ratcheted, reversible, 1/2 inch drive and torques in both directions with case.
Galwaylotus was correct, DO NOT use a pneumatic wrench on my Knockoff tools. It hammers the leather to pieces.
Sarto

[ricarbo]

If my wheelbolts were overtightened like Bill's, I'd get new ones. I remember watching an E type Jaguar racing at Brands Hatch when it lost a back wheel (centre lock wheels, like the Elan). We looked at the car in the paddock afterwards and my civil engineer friend showed me how the threaded part of the hub had given way, which he said was a clear sign of overtightening. Bit of a frightener.
Sarto's offer is extremely helpful, but the torque adapter on it's own. without a breaker bar is probably cheaper, having a full retail price of ?41.99, or $66.69. There's an advantage in having a separate breaker bar, because if it is used on it's own without the adapter, you don't have to worry about overloading the mechanism and if you did break it, the heads are replaceable, being regarded by the bar makers as a consumable part. The same problem exists with the Lowe's torque wrench, I expect, in that you shouldn't exceed 250 ftlbs. Sarto says the wheels need more force to undo than they need to tighten, so you're probably safer using a breaker bar for removal.
regards
Richard

[mac5777]

Hi Richard, Lotus and the Cobra wheels, to our benefit, are pin drives rather than splines that are on most other knockoff wheels. Over tightening on the spline type wheels can weaken the splines. Attached shows how the splines can get worn. http://www.daytonwheel.com/pdf/balancin ... spline.pdf
The Hub threads can also be weaken by over tighten as Richard described.
A 250 torque wrench is OK to remove our spinners, it just has to be set higher than the 200 to 220 to break them loose. The early Lotus manual said 160 to 180, a later manual says 200 to 220. That information is here on Business & Vendor Listing for knockoffs. I use 190 with no problems.
A breaker bar with a 1/2 inch drive, fits all my tool's hex shaft with the socket I supply. If you use a breaker bar only, make sure you have a feel for the suggested torque setting. I have seen breaker bars that have a ratcheted head for more money. I still maintain, if you are pushing down on the breaker bar, you can control the force you are applying rather than pulling or pushing on the bar at odd angles. A torque wrench you just wait to hear the click.
Pictured is my breaker bar and Torque Wrench.

Sarto