Any advice for replacing the strut tower brace?

[hawk02]

Received my Lupe painted strut tower brace today. Anything special I should know about replacing the brace? How important is torquing the bolts to spec? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

[yotaman96]

Take bolts out, remove old brace, put new brace on, tighten bolts.

[hawk02]

Originally Posted by yotaman96

Take bolts out, remove old brace, put new brace on, tighten bolts.

So what you're saying is I shouldn't worry about torquing the bolts to the 18 ft/lb spec?

[yotaman96]

If you have a torque wrench handy, by all means use it. 18ft/lbs is not much. Just snug them up and them go a little more. It's not going to hurt anything for them to not be exact. Just don't go all Hercules on them.

[hawk02]

Originally Posted by yotaman96

If you have a torque wrench handy, by all means use it. 18ft/lbs is not much. Just snug them up and them go a little more. It's not going to hurt anything for them to not be exact. Just don't go all Hercules on them.

I don't have a torque wrench but was considering purchasing one just for this. If can get away without buying one that would be great.

I assume it's good idea to recheck the tightness of the bolts after say 50-100 miles?

[yotaman96]

Wouldn't be a bad idea.

[ZO6 Bryan]

Originally Posted by hawk02

I don't have a torque wrench but was considering purchasing one just for this. If can get away without buying one that would be great.

I assume it's good idea to recheck the tightness of the bolts after say 50-100 miles?

Nice to have a torque wrench, but I wouldn't buy one just for this job. I've had mine off several times. Everytime I need more space to access the engine compartment. Literally shouldn't take you more than 5 min.

[ZL1-V]

Originally Posted by hawk02

So what you're saying is I shouldn't worry about torquing the bolts to the 18 ft/lb spec?

No don't worry about it because by hand tightening the bolts you will learn to "feel" how much it actually needs to be tightened. You'll be surprised after awhile and getting comfortable and confident using a wrench how close you can get without a torque wrench. As stated just don't over tighten and you are set.

[DangerZL1]

I don't think the average person realizes how little 18 ft# of torque is. It really is just a little over snug

[Mister Will]

Originally Posted by hawk02

I don't have a torque wrench but was considering purchasing one just for this. If can get away without buying one that would be great.

I assume it's good idea to recheck the tightness of the bolts after say 50-100 miles?

I agree with everyone else, 18 ft-lbs isn't much. Just give it a firm twist with a wrench.

With that being said. If you plan to do mods or just typical maintenance on your car, having a good torque wrench is a good idea. If you ever want to take something apart and put it back together right, you'll need a torque wrench. It's a good investment. I like the ratcheting type. Where you set the torque spec on the wrench and it ratchets when you meet that spec.

[spen5151]

Do you have a Harbor Freight around you? If so I would buy a torque wrench from them. They are not expensive from that store. They are not the quality of Craftsman but they are also a fifth of the price. If you are not using it all that much it should work well and last if taken care of. I have had mind for a little over a year and probabaly have used it 20 times or so. It still works great. The key is to not drop the wrench or be rough with it. This will through the specs of the wrench off. 18 ft-lbs is def not very tight and does not need a lot of force.

[RiCorvette]

If you're gonna go with HF, look for Ads; They frequently sell Torque Wrenches for $9.99 - $12.99
In addition to a 1/4" and 3/8", I got a couple of extra 1/2" TWs to keep in my cars for Lug Wrench Duty.

I wouldn't use the HF TWs for critical work, but for day to day stuff... no prob.

Another thought; spiff up yer bolts and washers.
Them Fugly OEM fasteners will ruin the look of that nice paint job

[Sven59]

Originally Posted by hawk02

Received my Lupe painted strut tower brace today. Anything special I should know about replacing the brace? How important is torquing the bolts to spec? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

It is worth having a torque wrench for the wheels too!

[ZL1-V]

Originally Posted by Sven59

It is worth having a torque wrench for the wheels too!

Yes it definitely is worth it. I still have my old Craftsman which works great. Set it to the specified torque, tighten, listen and feel for the the "click" and you are set.