Q:
I inherited my grandfather's torque wrench. It's still in good condition, but when I showed it to my mechanic, he said the wrench was so old that it was probably out of calibration and that I should just hang it on the wall as a curio. What do you think?
A:
I'd get a new mechanic, because although torque wrenches do need to be calibrated annually (more often if they're in daily operation or used for really critical applications like engine assembly), your wrench should work fine after an adjustment and a little TLC. And I'd bet this guy isn't getting his torque wrench calibrated as often as he should, either. Expect to pay $25 to $35 for a decent shop to calibrate your wrench properly. I used to have both of my torque wrenches, a 0-to-50 ft-lb and a 0-to-150 ft-lb, calibrated regularly by a fellow who did them for all the mechanics at the local dealerships. He had a truck with the calibration gear in it, and on the day he would come by the dealerships, all the mechanics lined up like they were buying burritos from the roach coach. He charged a princely 10 bucks. Sadly, the price has risen, so I just picked up a Powerbuilt Digital Torque Adapter. It's a small battery-powered gadget that will let you calibrate your own wrench, and it costs about $50. The Powerbuilt will also work in a pinch as a torque wrench itself, in concert with a ratchet or a flex handle. But I prefer to use my favorite clicker wrench and save the torque adapter for calibrating it.
Keep your torque wrench clean and lubricated, and always return the scale to zero after every use to keep the internal spring from taking a set and letting the calibration drift.
Safe Scratch Treatment
Q:
What's your take on using rubbing compound to eliminate scratches? Is it even possible to eliminate them? My car is only two years old and looks like it has light, hazy scratches all over it. So I'm not sure if the brush at the carwash had something in it or what.
A:
The fix for light scratches used to be rubbing compound, back in the days before clear-coat paint. Aggressive compounding can completely polish through the thin clear layer over the pigment, requiring respraying. And uh, yes, this would be a Bad Thing. There are other remedies for your patina of scratches, involving less-aggressive polishes and wax to fill in small scratches. Several products include Mothers California Gold Scratch Remover, Turtle Wax Scratch & Swirl Remover, Autoglym Paint Renovator and Meguiar's Deep Crystal.
Frozen Fasteners
Q:
I just got a sealed beam to replace the old headlight in my 1988 Pontiac Firebird. I need to remove the frame that holds the light in place, and my screws are stuck. I used WD-40 on the screws to try and loosen them, but they still won't come out. The screws seem to have a small clamp behind them. What's the best way to get a driver on these buggers?
A:
Those tiny Phillips-head trim screws are always a pain to remove. They're cheaply cad-plated, and they rust solid within a few months. Yours have had 20 years of crusty buildup. Penetrating oil usually doesn't help much. Start by using a proper No. 1 or No. 2 Phillips, depending on the size of the screw. Give yourself a break by using a relatively new screwdriver, not one that's already been used to round off hundreds of screws during its distinguished career. Remember to push hard against the screwdriver to keep it seated in the screw head. Of course, there's the danger of pushing hard enough to break the tab on the plastic trim piece, so be careful.
When that doesn't work, and it probably won't for at least a few of the screws, you may have to resort to twisting the screw with Vise-Grips. No, not the screw head itself--that's recessed 2 inches into a 1/4-inch-diameter hole. Try twisting the shank of the screw from behind the clip it screws into. If you can't access the rear of the area, you'll be forced to drill the screw head off. Warning: These screws are hardened and don't drill easily--in spite of the fact that they rounded off as easily as a block of margarine in the hot sun. Use a sharp drill and moderate speed or you'll just melt the plastic tab.
And when you are purchasing replacement hardware to put this all back together, I have only one word of advice: stainless.
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