Gonna be installing my new 1310 Coast drive shaft as soon as it comes in the mail. My wrenching skills are minimal but that will be changing now that ive entered into the jeep world. So what size torque wrench do I need?

 

Yup. I've got a 25-250 ft-lb Craftsman (1/2-inch drive), a 10-75 ft-lb, and a 20-200 inch-lb. Sooner or later, you'll use em all.

EDIT: I like the click-type, personally.

 

Came here to say this, a variety is a necessity! At least in the long run. Your first should be a nice broad range like this http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-hal...rench-239.html

 

Thanks for the help. So should I get 1/4, 1/2, or 3/8? Like I said, "minimal". Sorry for the ignorance. I really have no idea what I'm looking for.

 

Get whatever size to match whatever sockets you have. Unless you don't own any yet...

If that's the case I'd go with a 3/8s size for light and medium duty. Honestly though, you will need all sizes

Tools are one of the more expensive parts of an automotive hobby. Using Harbor Freight will allow you to keep those costs down.

 

While I have both 3/8" and 1/2", it's the 1/2' one that I find most useful. Home Depot has a Husky click type for around $80. The pointer types are cheaper, but a bit harder to read sometimes when you're under the jeep pushing or pulling the wrench. My standard used to be craftsman, but their warranty on the torque wrench isn't that good.

edit: buy quality tools, they will last longer and fit better.

 

My company hired another company to service some hydraulics on a ship. The service company overtorqed a valve and stripped an aluminum manifold. The Husky torque wrench was confirmed to be set correctly, but did not function correctly. It cost a tad over $100k to have a new manifold flown out and a couple Rolls Royce techs a few days to fix it. I stripped a bolt on my motorcycle case using a Craftsman wrench and it took considerable effort to repair it. The point being a quality wrench that is reliable will save you money in the long run. Craftsman 3/8" or 1/2" are OK for your jeep stuff, but nothing delicate. SK, Snap-on and other nice wrenches are money well spent, particularly for the stuff needing accurate torque in the in-lb range.

 

Now that's what I call a quality post!

I'm always curious as to how accurate my torque wrenches actually are. Might be in the market for a snap on sometime soon.

 

Money and brand name don't guarantee an accurate torque wrench.
I've spent a few decades working with click type torque wrenches that get calibrated on a very regular basis.
The failure rate is pretty much the same for them all, from Snap On, to the much cheaper brands.
The key to having an accurate click type torque wrench is regular calibration.
Most home mechanics can't afford (or just don't care enough) to be on a calibration program.

The only ones that always passed, and never needed calibration, were the bar type torque wrenches.
At home, I go to my bar type first. When I have to use a clicker, I check it against the bar torque wrench first.

Edit:
After reading the post below, I have to add, some of the torque wrenches that were out of cal, had seen little use between calibration dates.

 

I would have to agree with the above statement. I work at a major Caterpillar facility and we only use clicker type torque tools. We work with NM(Newton Meters) but same concept. The clicker type torque wrenches do fall out of spec on a regular basis. Keep in mind we use them on a daily basis. Point is, they do go out of spec to the degree that there is a team specifically designated to rotate around the plant and torque test all the tools on a regular basis. Caterpillar uses top quality tools to include Snap-On. If you use the clicker type, which I prefer, they will need to be calibrated occasionally.