You said:
Marcus,
> You seem so knowledgeable, can I ask you a question on retorqueing?
> My car sat for a long time after I bought it (about 19 years!) with
> only about 20 miles on it in that time. There had been a valve job on
> it when I bought it. That was about 86 I believe. I don't think there
> was ever a retorque. Would the bolts be in danger of snapping at this
> point in time?
My answer:
First, thanks for the kind words. My experience spans 5 decades, so if I
seem knowledgeable at all, it is for this reason:-).
It is never too late to retorque. Bolts do not "age" enough to cause
failure. I would suggest the use of a beam type torque wrench. The reason
for this is that beam wrenches don't generally lose their accuracy over
time. The way they work is that steel bends with a predictable amount of
force applied the same everytime (I don't remember the name of the
physical law right now). The beam type torque wrenches are a little harder
to use, but cheaper to purchase.
Marcus A. Pryor
For a new age of reason
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