Torque Wrench Purchase...

[B17Crew]

Hi ErnieN85,
Yikes, you burned through 3! Were they seeing heavy or occasional use?

B17Crew

 

[DRTH VTR]

The spec is 100#ft for C5's. The mistake that I made is that my wrench only goes up to about 90#ft. If I had to do it again, I would get a larger capacity torque wrench.

 

[mqqn]

Hi folks -

The spec is 100 ft/lbs for both C4 and C5.

In addition, to avoid warped rotors, use a three step process, go to 35-40 ft/lbs, then 65-75 ft lbs and then to 100. You can use any numbers you like, but you get the idea - cranking them down all at once is a sure way to get brake pedal oscillation.

I too have heard of the Griots Garage wrenches - it sounds cool to be able to have it recalibrated - but again, for home use on luggies - a cheap one is probably "good enough".

best regards -

mqqn

 

[80vette_ca]

Not sure if you have thought of this route yet, but what about ebay, I was looking the other day and you can get some brandname torque wrenches like Snap-On and the such for cheap, watch for shipping though as some sellers charge an arm and a leg to ship it....You can also get some real cheapie torque wrenches that would do you lug nuts just fine, you may want to take a look..

 

[ErnieN85]

Yep did in three the first one the setting knob on the end fell off, next one the casting where the ratchet actual is broke out, takeing the lug nuts off my truck 130 ft/lbs. this one (last one) seems to have grease running out of it and it apparently got into the friction interface withe the set knob so I have a very hard time setting it. and no I don't use it a lot. but I do go over every bolt on my car before and after track sessions. and use it when rotating tires on my car, my wife's and my truck. BTW it's the 250 ft/lb model so it surely shouldn't be over stressed. Sears did replace it twice (under pressure) I called Corp in Chicago the last time and reminded them about their tv ads!

 

[B17Crew]

Well, I went ahead and made the purchase... I bought the same one KOPBET has pictured in his post. I saw it there and couldn’t wait any longer, I want to get the detailing finished up so I can enjoy some of the nice weather we’ve been having.

ErnieN85, thank you for mentioning that you had gone through 3; if I have a problem with the Craftsman tw, I’m probably going to go whole-hog and look at Griots offerings as you suggested. I got 10% off, it listed for $99.00. I will watch it closely, my use is going to be limited to taking the wheels off for detailing. So I’ll use it every couple of months. Thanks again for mentioning Griots, hopefully I got lucky and got one that was made by someone in a good mood that day!

DRTH VTR, mqqn, and 80vette ca, thank you for taking the time to take a look at this thread, I have gained valuable information that is going to make the Corvette ownership experience that much more fun. I would've considered ebay, but I want to take advantage of the long weekend.

B17Crew