PSA: I was over-tightening every single bolt on my project car for years.

I snapped a caliper bracket bolt on my '98 Civic last weekend, and my buddy just stared at me. He said, 'You're using a 3-foot breaker bar like it's a hammer. That's not torque, that's trauma.' I looked it up, and the spec for that bolt was only 65 ft-lbs. I was probably putting over 150 on it. Now I'm renting a torque wrench from the auto parts store and re-checking everything. Anyone else learn the hard way that more muscle isn't always better?

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3 Comments

christopherb247mo ago

Sometimes you just need to feel it click.

6

paulk427mo ago

Remember that feeling when you finally got a bike to balance as a kid? It's like that, but for your brain. What was the thing that finally made sense for you?

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ward.emery7mo ago

Totally get that. I was stuck on a guitar riff for weeks, just forcing it. Then one morning I played it slower, stopped thinking, and my fingers just found the right spots. It wasn't about practice anymore, it was about letting it happen. That click is a real thing. What finally clicked for you?

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