BubbaJon wrote:
Sorry - that's just macho bullshit.
My dad was a professional mechanic for his entire life - master mechanic/crew chief in the USAF on aircraft, taught school for Nissan, Shop manager for a Nissan dealership, raced cars - he knew his shit and he always used a torque wrench for critical areas such as tightening down cylinder heads, crank mains, etc. Of course it might be overkill to torque an exhaust manifold nut, but something like a cylinder head that has distributed forces to contain the pressure from combustion - you should heed the manuals and apply the specified torque, in the correct manner. That includes stretch bolts. Nobody - and I mean nobody - is born or develops a calibrated wrist.
My dad was a professional mechanic for his entire life - master mechanic/crew chief in the USAF on aircraft, taught school for Nissan, Shop manager for a Nissan dealership, raced cars - he knew his shit and he always used a torque wrench for critical areas such as tightening down cylinder heads, crank mains, etc. Of course it might be overkill to torque an exhaust manifold nut, but something like a cylinder head that has distributed forces to contain the pressure from combustion - you should heed the manuals and apply the specified torque, in the correct manner. That includes stretch bolts. Nobody - and I mean nobody - is born or develops a calibrated wrist.