Head bolt torque with dual pipes

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Gotnoclass
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Head bolt torque with dual pipes

#1

Post by Gotnoclass »

Morning Gents,
Has anyone had any luck with tourqing this head bolt with conventional obstruction wrench? Trying to avoid removing the rear pipe.
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old.wrench
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Re: Head bolt torque with dual pipes

#2

Post by old.wrench »

GNC,
I've found it very helpful to have made up a couple of "special" wrenches for tightening head bolts. The typical obstruction wrench doesn't have an angled offset like most box wrenches, so while it's handy to get at some of the bolts, it doesn't work so good for all of them. What I've done is to take a couple of old 9/16" combination wrenches and added a bend to them so they work the way I need them to. Just take your "old wrench" and figure out where it needs to be bent to work for your particular situation and heat it with an oxy-acetylene torch just enough to put your desired bend into it, and then let it cool naturally. Most wrenches are made with a pretty decent grade of steel and will take this modification and still function just fine. It's really just a part of owning these old bikes and doing your own work on them. You'll probably find yourself making up or adapting some other tools to make your job go easier as you get further into working on them. Good Luck :) .

Geo.
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Re: Head bolt torque with dual pipes

#3

Post by 6hds »

Get whats called a "torque wrench adapter" Works for me. Gary
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Re: Head bolt torque with dual pipes

#4

Post by George Greer »

Next time you see a Snap-On tool truck driving around, flag them down.

Most of them got the adapters on the truck.

Or watch around the local airports and car dealerships.

Last time I was in Portland Oregon, I needed to find a special wrench, and spotted a Snap-On truck at the local GM dealer.......and got what I needed.

George
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Re: Head bolt torque with dual pipes

#5

Post by 6hds »

All the better tool mfg. make the adapters. I have a number of brands, but Snap-on is the best and the most expensive. Why? Snap-on's 12 point box is off set so when you turn it over the drive end is either to the left or right of center. Picture it? My Proto adapters are not offset and don't give you that handful of degrees you need to get the torque. Bought mine online from Snap-on at a good price. Gary
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Re: Head bolt torque with dual pipes

#6

Post by Robert Luland »

Old Wrenches idea, practically free of cost. Snap-On man $25.00 clams minimum for something he pays his distributor $5 bucks for. They survive because of there over rated credit scam they pull on every new mechanic that enters the field. It will be a cold day in hell before I spend $10Gs on a tool chest and that's a empty chest. I rather put that money into parts for my bikes. Bob L
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Re: Head bolt torque with dual pipes

#7

Post by George Greer »

Robert Luland wrote:Old Wrenches idea, practically free of cost. Snap-On man $25.00 clams minimum for something he pays his distributor $5 bucks for. They survive because of there over rated credit scam they pull on every new mechanic that enters the field. It will be a cold day in hell before I spend $10Gs on a tool chest and that's a empty chest. I rather put that money into parts for my bikes. Bob L

Bob, I agree with you on the prices being inflated, and I would not buy a tool box from them,

But at my job with Army helicopters, I only used Snap-on cuz they had what I needed to do a specific task.

Don't have many tools from them for sure.

George
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Re: Head bolt torque with dual pipes

#8

Post by old.wrench »

It's really not my idea :) , it's just one of the tips or tricks that I picked up over the years from other mechanics who had more experience than I did. In addition to putting a bend into the wrench you will probably also find it helpful to grind a little bit off of the outside perimeter of the "box" portion of wrench to give a bit more clearance against the head. I'm not really hung-up on any particular brand name of tool, I just like good quality. I've got all kinds of tools that I've modified or made to fit a particular task or make my job easier. Some of them I use regularly and others are so specialized that I've only used them one time. I just figure that it's really up to me to come up with the right tool to do the job, because if I can't do it, that means I have to not only pay somebody else to do it, but I have to trust them to do it right. Good mechanics are hard to find :) .

Geo.
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Re: Head bolt torque with dual pipes

#9

Post by PanPal »

I've never had a problem getting the obstruction wrench on all the head bolts even with dual exhaust installed. I have to remove the regulator and the the top of the timer, but I can torque all the head bolts on duo glides with it. you have to switch from one side of the bike to the other on a few, or flip the wrench to get another turn. A 12 point box end gives you a lot of alignment options to get at the bolts.
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