> I mean, why doesn't anyone really know the proper torque? Why haven't
> these specs been published by the maker?
I don't _know_. But certainly one reasonable theory is that there IS no "proper
torque" figure. Torque is a very imprecise way of measuring what we're really
interested in, which is how much clamping force each bolt is exerting. Because
of the inaccuracy, generally a bolted joint is only designed to half the working
strength of the fastener, to give adequate margin for variations. And even
then, there are failures. Girling may have felt that they needed more than
that, and used the "torque-angle" or "measured stretch" methods of measuring
bolt 'tightness'.
And because of legal liability issues, they may have decided to reveal this
information only to people who sign contracts limiting Girling's liability if a
failure occurs. Remember that this would have been back in the 60s & 70s, when
product liability laws in the US were way out of control. I don't recall the
details now, but I remember reading of a court decision that held an aircraft
manufacturer liable for a "manufacturing defect" that didn't show up for 30
years !
> And why isn't there anyone out
> there selling the bolts for joining the two halves together?
As Ed said, obviously someone IS selling the bolts. Just not to consumers,
perhaps for the same reason as above.
> And if the experts do have all this super-secret
> skills and knowledge, are they keeping it secret so that we, the laymen,
> will part with out hard-earned dollars, paying them to ply their mystic
> trade on our brake calipers?
Seems reasonable to me. After all, they are in business (and pay insurance
premiums) to make money, not give information away.
Randall
=== This list supported in part by The Vintage Triumph Register
=== http://www.vtr.org
|