Connecting Rod Wrenches

brought to you by: Dave Williams
This page: www.bacomatic.org/~dw/tool/rodwren/rodwren.htm
Main page: http://www.bacomatic.org/~dw/index.htm
Last Updated: 25 Aug 2008

Author: Dave Williams; dlwilliams=aristotle=net

Ordinary 3/8" rod bolts usually torque to about 45 foot-pounds. Unfortunately, when tightening bolts by stretch instead of torque, you often wind up with over 70 foot-pounds of torque to get the right stretch. That's as much as many head bolts, and a struggle using a wrench and a piece of pipe!

Speedway .0001" dial indicator and adapter and a set of sacrificial sockets; 3/8 and 7/16 in six and twelve point.

24" long 1/4 x 1" hot rolled steel flat with holes drilled to accept a socket at either end.

Socket welded in place and square drive part bandsawed off and deburred.

The sawed-off socket becomes a box end on the wrench. With two feet of leverage, precisely bringing the bolt up to the correct stretch is a breeze.

Two feet of persuasion!