I agree............... Beam or Needle Torque Wrenches This type of torque wrench looks like a sword, with the ****og pointer scale being the handguard. The beam or main body of the wrench is designed to bend under force. A separate needle pointer stays straight and indicates the torque on the scale. Advantages Simple and reliable, proven design. Almost no moving parts, nothing to jam and cause over-torquing. Can measure torque in both directions. Can measure torque from zero to the maximum rated torque. Accurate, as high as 2 percent accuracy. Disadvantages Needs some maintenance. The beam sometimes stays bent and needs to be straightened to zero the scale. Scale needs to be watched all the time to see when the correct torque is reached. Useful features Sliding tabs to remember the maximum torque achieved. This allows measurement of the torque needed to loosen a bolt. The same amount of torque can then be used to tighten back the bolt. Some wrenches come with calibration certificates. How to Calibrate a Torque Wrench Commercial calibration services are available for torque wrenches. Rough and simple DIY calibration is also possible at home: A beam wrench can be used to calibrate a click wrench. A bolt is tightened with the click wrench. The beam wrench is then used to tighten the bolt again. Before the preset (on the click wrench) torque is reached, the bolt should not move. After the preset torque, the bolt should tighten up some more. A bolt is firmly clamped to the workbench. A torque wrench is fixed to the bolt parallel to the floor. Weights are hung from the wrench handle. The torque is calculated from (weight) x (distance of weight on handle from bolt). This is compared against the indicated torque (beam wrench), or weights are added until the wrench "breaks" (click wrench). Care should be taken as the sudden release of the weights can cause injury. The Best Torque Wrench For most DIY home mechanics, a simple and affordable click torque wrench is easy to use and accurate enough. A beam torque wrench is a useful addition for the lower torque ranges, and its simple reliability means that it can be used to roughly calibrate ("sanity check") click wrenches. Oh yeah By the book the head bolts don't need to be replaced but the Engine cost (X) bolts cost (Y) you decide
I was told that the only ones you need to replace every time are the new design ones with the reduced diameter shanks between the heads and the threads. Is what I do at any rate.
X2, never had an issue re-using SBC head bolts, make sure the threads are clean in the block and on the bolts.
Ahhh, those thing are like 45 years old, aren't they? And they hold back maybe what, 10 1/2 or maybe 11:1 compression? How long do you want it to run for? And what about your rod and main bolts? You chucking them too I hope?
I never knew that! I was always told to use new bolts at all times! But I'm not going to screw with THE Squirrel on something like this!! Doc.
Hes not working on a Toyota,its a American made engine and just cause the bolts are 45 years old don"t mean ****.
This always a hot topic, but it all boils down to a few things. How are the threads? How do the bolts look? and now with all the different opinions, can you put it together without any concern after reading all the different opinions. I use ARP in my racing engines, but have used stock bolts on normal freshen ups. There you have it, 1 more opinion
The bolts are 45 years, 7 months, 14 days, 37 hours 3 minutes and 37 seconds old. Compression ratio will be 25:1. I want it run trouble free for 850 million miles. I'm not using rod or main bolts i welded everything together. I think i'll just say screw the head bolts and weld the heads on also. Then i won't need to waste my money on a torque wrench.
I try to use new when its possible, and besides the old bolts are good for welding gussets and reinforcing the kids' go kart.
Same thought here ( and I have done it a hundred times, and not once had a problem). And there is nothing wrong with installing a new set ARPS,but certainly not necessary. Good luck with the 327. Great motors!
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