Ok i admit i suck at torque specs, is torque specs something REALLY necessary to check when bolting body parts ??? I never checked torquing honestly, am I doing something real wrong ?? (Tho I know correct torquing is crucial for engine-related stuff)

verslagen1 wrote on 04/15/13 at 22:15:13:


Lol my concern is about what too much can doo (except breaking bolts), I surely do put enough torquage.

One of my pet peeves is when I have to remove a bolt or nut that has been tightened waaaaay too tight.  I have drained oil from cars that had the drain plug so tight that I needed a breaker bar and both arms to get it loose......the bolt holds oil iin.....it does not hold the front of the car together!

I have been wrenching on stuff for years......I suppose it started somewhere aorund  1960 on my bicycle, 1972 on my motorcycle, and professionally at lawn mower and motorcycle shops around 1973.  Over the years I have developed a feel for tightness on most things, however on critical enigne parts I will use a torque wrench.

For most fasteners the use of a torque wrench is not necessary - once you have established a feel for using your wrenches.  On most 6mm bolts I tighten with my thumb on the 3/8" ratchet at the head and the palm of my hand on the handle close to the head.  On 8mm bolts I move my hand out a bit farther......10mm and larger and I am using my hand at te end of the handle.  Most open end or combination wrenches change length as the bolt gets bigger......so it is possible that about the same pull is necessary on the wrench to get them tightened.

Most bolts and nuts need to be very snug.....but never "tight".  The exception is on hardened bolts that are designed to work at specific torques and need to be very tight.  You can usually identify these bolts by the fine pitched threads and special markings on the heads.....and sometimes the bolts neck down and becomes thinner between the head and threaded portion.

What can happen if you over-thighten?  On body bolts that thread into the welded on nuts you can break  the bolt off or strip the threads - both of which are a pain to fix. (Has anyone else noticed how few nuts are on the Savage.......almost every bolt threads into a welded on nut that is not replaceable!)  On things like case bolts, head cover bolts or exhaust manifold/header bolts.......it is a huge problem if you break or strip something.  Too loose of fasteners either don't hold the part steady.......or the bolt becomes really loose and falls off.

My suggestion is to practice a little bit with some fasterners and a torque wrench.  Tighten a bolt by hand....then use a torque wrench at the proper settnig and see how you did.  If you don't have a torque wrench......try and use a bit less force than it took to remove the fastener.

I have been using a lot of LocTite or similar mediium strength liquid on the nuts and bolts on the Savage.  It does vibrate a bit and it never hurts to try and keep the fasteners from getting loose.

And lastly........most fasteners never require gorilla strength to tighten them.  
 

Awesome, I guess I have a good feel for tightening too, like that time, 3-4 years ago when i tightened my rear conic bearing on my VW golf, when I removed the bolts, said to myself:  darnnnnnn those are so loose, and then i tightened 'em real good.  Did 80kms till I lost a wheel hehehe.  Learned bearing bolts tightening the hard way

I can Fix a loose bolt a lot easier than a busted or stripped one..