Basic, Better, Best – Talking the Torque (Wrench)

How on earth did we cope before the invention of the torque wrench?! It must have been a truly dark and unhappy time of snapped bolts and stripped threads when the only indication of the tightness of a nut was by feel alone, whereby stage one your wrist cracked, stage two your elbow tweaked and stage three your shoulder popped but the importance of correct torque settings cannot be overlooked or overstressed, especially when working on more specialised areas of your classic where the uniform and accurate tightening of bolts is critical.

We’ve all been there – that sinking feeling you get when righty-tighty suddenly turns into lefty-loosey and you begin to question your entire life choices. This does not and should not have to be the case though and a decent torque wrench can save you from such mechanical woes as leaking gaskets and busted bolts. Unlike a regular wrench however, a torque wrench is a specialised and calibrated bit of equipment where quality and accuracy can vary greatly depending on the tool in question, so let’s have a look at our recommendations for the basic, better and best versions of this indispensable bit of garage gadgetry.

What is a torque wrench?

A wrench that measures torque. Pretty self explanatory really but there’s obviously a little more to it than that. Opinions vary on when the first torque wrench was invented; some claim it was American John H. Sharp in 1931 while other sources sight fellow yank Conrad Bahr being the man to patent the design in 1918 as a way to more accurately measure the tightness of flange bolts he was working on at the time for the New York City Water Department. Either way we’re looking at the early Twentieth Century as the genesis point but the evolution of the tool has arrived today at essentially three basic types: The beam/deflecting beam, clicker, and electronic.

The beam type wrenches are the most basic whereby they utilise a dial that shows the amount of torque equivalent to the handle’s deflection, like a weighing scale in essence. The clicker torque wrench is based on the humble ratcheted socket wrench, albeit a little more sophisticated and is probably the most common when it comes to DIY car mechanics. Adjustable via a dial on the handle the required level of torque can be preset and once that level is reached a clutch mechanism inside the tool clicks loudly to let you know that you need to stop tightening. Meanwhile, electronic or digital torque wrenches are at top of the pile and among the most accurate of the bunch. They utilise a strain gauge inside the handle to send a digital signal to an LED display and can be programmed according to the specific job at hand.

Basic

It’s easy to spend a lot of money on this particular tool with top end wrenches costing many hundreds of pounds but a good, basic torque wrench doesn’t need to break the bank and this Silverline 1/2” drive torque wrench is more than adequate for most classic car fettlers. We know, we have one. It’s a click-type ratchet wrench so it’s easy to use, it’s robust, has a decent range from 28 – 210Nm and the torque indicator is clearly visible. While arguably not the most accurate out of the box (despite being ISO 6789 certified with a claimed accuracy of +/- 4%) there’s nothing to say it cannot be re-calibrated and it’s a sturdy piece of kit that will get the job done. It has a protective case (which is always a good idea), a reversible head and comes with a handy 3/8” adapter.

Better

The higher the price bracket, the better the quality and more importantly, the higher the accuracy of the tool and that can mean make or break time when it comes to intricate engine work, literally. Being a couple of newton metres out on one of your wheel nuts is one thing but inaccuracy with con rod or camshaft bearing cap bolts is an entirely different and potentially expensive kettle of fish. Remaining within the context of car mechanics the accuracy certified Teng 1292AGE4R click-style wrench, aside from its catchy name, has a built-in angle gauge which is perfect for certain applications that require such measurements and would have been perfect for a recent job whereby we had to tighten some cylinder head bolts to a final angle spec of 90 degrees. It also has a dual measurement scale, large torque range and is a decent length. A versatile and well-made tool.

Best

For those of you with money to burn or the desire for the most accurate of torque wrenches, or indeed both, then there’s this digital torque wrench from Gearwrench. At the best part of £140 it’s not cheap but it’s still not a wholly unreasonable amount for a tool that has as many cool features as this bad boy. Not only is it accurate to +/- 2% compared to most others at this price range at +/- 4% it can display readings in five different measurements. It also has a smooth 72 tooth ratchet mechanism too with a 5 degree swing angle which adds a great deal of functionality to this already accomplished tool. It doesn’t just beep at you when you reach the desired torque level either, it has a target torque alert system that gradually warns you as you get closer to the set spec with a vibrating handle, buzzer and light so you really have to be doing something pretty special to over-tighten that bolt. An excellent torque wrench if you can justify the price.

Money Torques

All puns aside the type and spec of torque wrench will obviously depend entirely on your budget and application but any of the above will work perfectly well for adequately tightening fixings to a specific level. With the sheer variety of wrenches available it can be difficult to choose but whichever one you do go for it’s going to help you ensure that a lot of those mechanical faux pas are successfully avoided. Just make sure to recalibrate your chosen torque wrench regularly and always return it to zero between jobs and you should have a reliable and accurate tool for life.

Want more products for your beloved classic? Have a look through our past articles here!