Royal Ryser
Well-known member
What is a torque stick?
wheel [lug] nut torque ?
- Thread starter Talkwrench
- Start date
lowtech36rod
Senior Member
yes...yes I have. set per vehicle spec. then, checked and re-checked before the tires ever hit the ground. pretty sure it's DOT regulated (what isn't these days).
Talkwrench
Well-known member
Over here I have never seen anyone in a tyre shop use a torque wrench to finish.. Its just a kid and a rattle gun Pfft!
Ronnie
Well-known member
Model A Bill
Member
Although this does not pertain to the OP question.I"ve worked in a garage for over 25 years .We torque every wheel.I was taught the reason for this is to ensure that wheel is tightened equally especially against a rotor surface to ensure the rotor remains true.But you won't many rotors on old fords
Maybe I have been doing it wrong all these years.If my shop isn't using a torque wrench I would find one that doesIf you use the socket on the hand crank,the nuts will be tight with no danger of over tightening.If the stud holes are worn,the nut can bottom out but still be loose on the wheel.Except for cyl heads,I see no reason to use a T-wrench on these old Fords.Of course,being a mechanic all my working life,you develop a feel for the various torque values.One time I changed a tire on my modern car & had to use a 3' cheater pipe to get the nuts off.You should be able to remove wheel nuts with the wrench provided with the car.
Robert Dip
Senior Member
Interesting reading all of the comments posted here. One thing to remember is that in today's cars, most have the solid aluminum wheels. It is important to re-torque after so many miles. On the steel rims, observe the design of the lug hole...it does not sit flat on the drum ( disc ), so tightening these have a different role. The steel rim will actually 'spring' in and act as a locking device. I worry about alum rims coming loose, but not the steel wheels. For many of us, we use the 'experienced' hand torque method....worked for me the past 50 years.
Ole Don
Well-known member
I retired from Ford assembly in 1998. I was a torque inspector, checking air tools and operator integrity. At that time, steel wheel and aluminum wheels left the plant at 85 to 105. I live in the rust belt, so I always use grease between the aluminum wheel and the steel surface, to make sure they don't fuse together. I also use grease or anti seize on the studs. I always use a torque wrench set to 95.
itslow
Well-known member
By lubricating the threads and under-head/nut surfaces, you reduce the amount of torque required to achieve the intended amount of bolt tension. They should be left dry, or you should reduce the torque amount accordingly depending upon the lubricant used.
I, too, live in a part of the country that sees plenty of road salt during the winter. The only time I've had an issue with aluminum wheels seizing on to the hub was with my (then) girlfriend's truck, which I suspect hadn't had the wheels off in years. Just remove them once and reinstall during your annual vehicle inspection/maintenance, and you're not likely to have a problem again.
That said, using a grease between the hub faces or the hub pilot bore of the wheel is fine, so long as not enough it used that causes it to ooze out and fling onto the brake rotors or pads.
cmbrucew
Well-known member
I bought a new f250 in 86. It came with sae studs and metric nuts, or vise versa. those suckers were tight all the way off. Guy at the bowling alley, is a ford mechanic, told me about them.
Bruce