07-01-2008, 05:15 PM
If your torque wrench and socket won't fit over a bolt because of some obstruction, here's a trick that will let you get close to applying the torque you are after.
Setting out to firm up the rear Konis, I soon discovered a problem. The space between the lower shock bolt on the left side and the exhaust was too small for a breaker bar and socket, let alone a torque wrench and socket. I had installed an aftermarket exhaust a year or so after putting on the Konis, and knowing what that had involved, I did not want to deal with removing it.
First step was to cut my 22mm socket down, allowing the socket and breaker bar to fit the gap (a 22mm crowfoot may have worked, but didn't have one and couldn't find one). After removing the lower bolts, I learned just how much effort is required to adjust those shocks while they are still mounted at the top. It can be done, but a good deal of verbal assist is required.
Back go the bolts with freshly lubed threads. The plan is to torque the right rear to 90ft# spec, then use my calibrated arm and breaker bar to match the feel of the left one to that of the right. I didn't want these bolts working loose, but I didn't want to over torque them and risk stripping threads in the left trailing arm either.
Along came an idea: put a combination wrench on the bolt, and use it in place of a socket on the torque wrench (open- or box-end would also work, but not a twist or offset style). The math worked out as Tt=Tb/(1+Lw/Lt), where 'Lw' is the length of the combination wrench (center to center), 'Lt' is the length of the torque wrench (center to mid-handle), 'Tb' is the torque spec. for the bolt, and 'Tt' is the reduced setting for the torque wrench.
I bought a bolt and two nuts with 22mm hex heads and two washers, assembled them as bolt/washer/nut/washer/nut, and tightened them up (see one of the pictures). The washers are there to keep the wrench on the nut and to keep things more or less in line. This bolt/nut combo. serves as a fulcrum for the combination wrench and the torque wrench (see other picture). It's important to orient things such that the bolt/nut combo. is being tightened while torquing, and also to keep the two wrenches at 180 degrees.
The length of my 22mm combination wrench was 10.25" and that of my torque wrench was 17.35", so the torque wrench wanted to be set at 57ft# to get 90ft# on the bolt. Using this, I tightened the right shock bolt, then checked its torque, finding it not quite 90ft#. Increasing the setting, tightening some more, and rechecking finally netted 62ft# as the required setting on the torque wrench. The difference is probably making up for some of the unavoidable slack. I then used this setting to tighten the left shock bolt.
Setting out to firm up the rear Konis, I soon discovered a problem. The space between the lower shock bolt on the left side and the exhaust was too small for a breaker bar and socket, let alone a torque wrench and socket. I had installed an aftermarket exhaust a year or so after putting on the Konis, and knowing what that had involved, I did not want to deal with removing it.
First step was to cut my 22mm socket down, allowing the socket and breaker bar to fit the gap (a 22mm crowfoot may have worked, but didn't have one and couldn't find one). After removing the lower bolts, I learned just how much effort is required to adjust those shocks while they are still mounted at the top. It can be done, but a good deal of verbal assist is required.
Back go the bolts with freshly lubed threads. The plan is to torque the right rear to 90ft# spec, then use my calibrated arm and breaker bar to match the feel of the left one to that of the right. I didn't want these bolts working loose, but I didn't want to over torque them and risk stripping threads in the left trailing arm either.
Along came an idea: put a combination wrench on the bolt, and use it in place of a socket on the torque wrench (open- or box-end would also work, but not a twist or offset style). The math worked out as Tt=Tb/(1+Lw/Lt), where 'Lw' is the length of the combination wrench (center to center), 'Lt' is the length of the torque wrench (center to mid-handle), 'Tb' is the torque spec. for the bolt, and 'Tt' is the reduced setting for the torque wrench.
I bought a bolt and two nuts with 22mm hex heads and two washers, assembled them as bolt/washer/nut/washer/nut, and tightened them up (see one of the pictures). The washers are there to keep the wrench on the nut and to keep things more or less in line. This bolt/nut combo. serves as a fulcrum for the combination wrench and the torque wrench (see other picture). It's important to orient things such that the bolt/nut combo. is being tightened while torquing, and also to keep the two wrenches at 180 degrees.
The length of my 22mm combination wrench was 10.25" and that of my torque wrench was 17.35", so the torque wrench wanted to be set at 57ft# to get 90ft# on the bolt. Using this, I tightened the right shock bolt, then checked its torque, finding it not quite 90ft#. Increasing the setting, tightening some more, and rechecking finally netted 62ft# as the required setting on the torque wrench. The difference is probably making up for some of the unavoidable slack. I then used this setting to tighten the left shock bolt.
