Handiest torque wrench for 914 Type 4? Options

[98101]

I want to remove and replace my Dellortos and the instructions are to torque to [EDITED] 13 inch-lbs. Most of you know what that feels like intuitively, but I'm a newbie and don't want to screw up my new toy.

I don't yet own a torque wrench -- don't think I've even used one before. I'm wondering which one I should buy for this and future 914 stuff. E.g. my valve covers are converted to bolt on.

[BillC]

I want to remove and replace my Dellortos and the instructions are to torque to 13 lbs.

Foot-pounds or inch-pounds? One is 12 times bigger than the other. It's important to keep them straight.

You're probably going to want to get at least 2 different torque wrenches, one that does 0 to 25 or 50 inch-pounds, and another that does at least 100 foot-pounds. There's a wide range of torque values you'll need to work on your car. I actually have 4 torque wrenches: a 0 to 25 in-lb 1/4" drive wrench, a 10 to 85 ft-lb 3/8" drive wrench, a 25 to 250 ft-lb 1/2" drive wrench and an electronic 3/4" drive "adapter" that goes up to 600 ft-lbs (gets used with a big breaker bar). They all get used.

I like the vernier click-type torque wrenches, because they make a hard-to-miss click when you've reached your setting. And, they measure torque in both directions. But, the drawback is you can't store them at a high setting -- you need to back them off to near the bottom of their range or they'll lose calibration.

There are also beam type wrenches that don't need to be backed-off when finished, but they (usually) only measure torque clockwise (tightening for right-hand threads). I've seen a few left-hand beam wrenches, but they tend to be quite expensive.

You'll probably have to get a dial or bar type for the in-lb wrench. I've never seen a decent click-type that goes that low.

Whatever you get, first make sure to get a decent brand, since you don't really know what a cheap-o horrible fright wrench will give you or how long it will stay in spec. Second, make sure you know how to use it -- for instance, when the wrench clicks, you're done, don't keep turning or you'll overtorque the nut/bolt.