Where to buy a torque angle indicator?

[ZR1cliff]

Ime looking for a torque angle indicator with a digital readout,anyone know where they are sold?

[steve_D]

ZR1cliff said:

Ime looking for a torque angle indicator with a digital readout,anyone know where they are sold?

Not sure just what you are after.
* A torque tool you would normally set to the figure you want to achieve so no readout required.
* A torque indicator usually has an analogue readout with a tell-tale to show the maximum torque used. Not sure if they would come with digital and would doubt you need it as the whole way it is used is prone to inacuracy.
* None of the above measure an angle.

Steve

[boosted ls1]

Cliff,

I use one when I build the lsx's. Thay use a lot of angular settings on the mains and heads. It's a Kent Moore item and I got if from the US via ebay. They do a simple digital angle meter or a more expensive digital torque/angle meter which is what I have. Without thedse you're just guessing at the settings. It's very good and about $800 iirc (new). Call me if you want any more info.

Boosted.

[ZR1cliff]

boosted ls1 said:

Cliff, I use one when I build the lsx's. Thay use a lot of angular settings on the mains and heads. It's a Kent Moore item and I got if from the US via ebay. They do a simple digital angle meter or a more expensive digital torque/angle meter which is what I have. Without thedse you're just guessing at the settings. It's very good and about $800 iirc (new). Call me if you want any more info. Boosted.

Thanks guys,Mike i went on a trip to machine mart to add to my tools today and found a normal 360 degree guage,the only thing i dont like is when you are trying to pull something like 85 degrees youve got to keep stopping and looking at right angles to the lever you are pulling,mind you at $800 i think ile keep twisting my neck ,didnt realise they were that much.
BTW,ive just got a brand new LT5 block in that i got off ebay at a good price its going to be my dark evenings project.ile post on vette forum.

Cliff

[boosted ls1]

Cliff,

This is what I use. Be quick!


http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Kent-Moore-Torque-Angle-Meter_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ43989QQitemZ4571886458QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

This one is really cheap but you'd need to get the seller to post it 'ordinary mail' as a gift

Boosted.

[ZR1cliff]

Thanks for the heads up on that Mike,but i missed it,no probs ile wait till one comes up again ,

[boosted ls1]

ZR1cliff said:

Thanks for the heads up on that Mike,but i missed it,no probs ile wait till one comes up again ,

They don't come up very often so you may have to pay over the odds to get it.

Boosted.

[nighthawk]

Most tool stores sell these, I know halfords sell them

[boosted ls1]

nighthawk said:

Most tool stores sell these, I know halfords sell them

I used to use one of those but for multiple settings they aren't much cop. The one I had started to come apart which isn't much use when you are half way through setting a critical angle. For limited use they are ok and I still have mine as backup for when the digiguage can't gain access.

Boosted.

[nighthawk]

I've had no problems with one of these designs over the last 2 decades, so i tend to stick with what I know.
The guy asking for the item doesn't come across as being a precsion race engine builder, so I'd suspect that the limited use an angle gauge would get wouldn't justify the expense of a modern digital set up.

Does look kind of funky though

[boosted ls1]

Thing with the LS1's is that all the main bolt torques are angular and have to be done in several stages. TTY head bolts. The mains are first snugged up to torque followed by two angular settings. Same for the heads so the digistuff is best for this engine. GM use this guage hence why I use it. Now the crank pulley is a whole lot of fun if it's not done correctly

I had to use the conventional guage on a head install in situ because the digi-guage was to big. I know the readings were all over the place but it was the best I could do given space limitations and because I couldn't see it from above to read it.

Boosted.

[ZR1cliff]

nighthawk said:

Most tool stores sell these, I know halfords sell them

I got one of these from Machine Mart in the end for around nine quid.

[nighthawk]

I'm sure it'll serve you well for anything your likely to come across.

[ZR1cliff]

nighthawk said:

I'm sure it'll serve you well for anything your likely to come across.

Thanks, but you never know ime very adventurous

[steve_D]

So the digital jobby is just measuring angle not torque?

If so then where does it get its bearings i.e. how does it establish its datum.

Thinking if I could justify one of these at work followed by a tool loan chit for the weekends.

Steve

[boosted ls1]

steve_D said:

So the digital jobby is just measuring angle not torque? If so then where does it get its bearings i.e. how does it establish its datum. Thinking if I could justify one of these at work followed by a tool loan chit for the weekends. Steve

It's a strain guage. So for torque it measures the resistance from nothing up to the level you tell it. The pukka ones will measure angle or torque and you can pick from n/ms or lbs/ft. The digital unit hangs on the engine or stand but the guage fits between your bar and the socket. The outside of the guage is referenced by a clip to something nearby when measuring angle. It's a nice bit of kit. I love it but only for precise stuff that I care about. It can be fiddly to use.

Boosted.

[ZR1cliff]

Mike ,i would imagine it to be a precise bit of kit,but is it easier to use than the normal guage that i bought.

[boosted ls1]

ZR1cliff said:

Mike ,i would imagine it to be a precise bit of kit,but is it easier to use than the normal guage that i bought.

Your guage is easy to use so long as the engine's on a stand or you can be above the guage and read it accurately. It's accurate to 2-4 lbs appx. Still a useful tool.

The digiguage has a bleeper so you don't have to be able to see the readout. Once it's set you can rattle through a load of settings and they will be exact. Thing is, the adaptor between socket and wrench is cumbersome so the digiguage is best suited to accessible engines. I don't use it all the time, just where there are torque to yield bolts. It's one of my favourite tools

Boosted.

[ZR1cliff]

"Torque to Yield"?,ive heard this a few times are there different torque examples?
Thanks.

[boosted ls1]

Cliff,

A torque to yeld bolt (tty) is stretched almost right to the limit of it's elasticity, hence needing an accurate way of torquing them up. You only use these bolts once and then throw them away because they've been stretched a plenty.

Boosted.