front end on my truck will need some attention soon. Noticed that the torque spec for pittman arm is several hundred pounds, something like 300+ pounds for some front end components. Do you all have air impact tools for it, a heavy duty torque wrench or do you just wing it with a socket on a long cheater bar. Will take it to a shop before i risk safety issues but wondered how you all handled this kind of work. thanks,

 

For the very few times I have had bolts with over 150 Lb-Ft of torque I have taken it as far as I could go with the torque wrench and then just put whatever I thought I should/could give it with a breaker bar and cheater. If I was worried about a nut coming loose I used locktite.

 

Do you know anybody with a torque multiplier ??? We sell 1 here that will go up to 1000 ft/lbs for $475.00 . For that kind of money you could pay someone to do the job and still have enough for to get drunk on. There are torque wrenches that will go up to and over 300 ft/lbs but they're just as expensive. I have also used the method mentioned above. Locktite is always used when I do chassis/suspension work.

 

You need a pretty long piece of conduit to fit over a breaker bar to get to 300 pounds. Don't use the cheater on the tourque wrench. I've use that set up on the rear wheel retaining nut on VW's before by setting the bar on the ground and driving the vehicle forward. Whoaaa nellie!

 

For bolts that are in a position that I can hang from them or step on the wrench I have used some crude math and used my weight x distance.

(Lb-ft x12)/weight = length required in inches.

For 300 foot pounds I don't need a piece of conduit, most breaker bars are at least 15-1/2" long :-)

A stirrup of rope to put your foot in improves accuracy. Make allowances for not being able to get all of your weight on if required, but this decreases accuracy.

I had an engine frozen up once and I used a Wardmaster ratchet on the front pulley bolt with a 6 foot cheater and a 360 pound friend. -The engine turned over and the ratchet survived without damage. The engine ran fine after that also.

 

thanks to all for the replies. torque first, with a 360 pound guy standing on the end of a six foot cheater bar i am surprised he didnt flip the truck

 

Thanks, we try to answer questions here.


Ya gotta remember he was still only 3 feet from the fender. If I remember right he didn't have to climb up on the cheater. He just kinda took a hold on it and gave it a good shove :-)

-And it was a car...

 

Also if it is in a position where I can't climb onto it, sometimes I will use a cheater pipe on a breaker and a pull scale out on it some calculated distance. I have a 50 lb pull scale so to get 250 ft lb like I needed on a front axle nut I just go out 5 ft.

Birken