I need to know what size wrench fits the torque arm nuts on both the front and rear for a ZF-6. I know I have the wrenches and I usually just take a handfull with me when I go under the car. Unfortunately I'm not under the car and I'm trying to design a tool that will make my life easier.

I'm fairly certain the fronts are 18mm, I do not know about the rear for sure.

Also if anybody knows the spacing between the bolt holes that would be great.

 

21mm & those are 1 7/16" c to c. The others are 1 11/16" c to c.

 

Awesome, that's exactly what I needed!

Basically I'm too broke to buy beam plates and I feel like they're overpriced anyway for what they really do. IMHO the biggest benefit is that they make it easy to tighten the bolts as you don't have to get a wrench on the top.

SO, I intend to go to the metal shop and fabricate a metal box that will sit over the two nuts and allow me to tighten them without having to have the wrench. Then when I'm done I can remove the tool to be used on somebody else's car, such as my friend Brian's.

Something like this

 

cool.

 

Perhaps while you're in the shop, make up a set of "boxes" that you did not mill all the way through with a set of holes for the bolts so they can still capture the nuts, but also allow you to test if the beam plate concept helps you at all.

 

I could, but being that I'll be replacing the clutch on Saturday and I've only got a very limited amount of time to fabricate parts, I don't have time nor the inclination to experiment. As for the beam plate concept, honestly think about the forces that are applied to the torque arm and tell me how the beam plates can actually significantly improve anything.

IMHO the benefit comes from the fact that with the beam plates it allows you to actually tighten the torque arm bolts properly, which is very hard to do without them. It's a good concept from an ease of use standpoint but I am hard pressed to see any real benefit over actually tightening the bolts to spec as you otherwise would. It's a decent product for some reasons, but I don't see it as $179 worth of fine product.

My intent is to make a tool that I can use over and over without having to spend any significant amount of money.

 

Those are quick measurements (on the hole to hole distances) taken in a hurry while I was home at lunchtime but they should be real close. I too will be fabbing my own plates the next time I have occasion to remove the beam.

 

This might help...

 

Those 8 sided nuts look expensive!




I stick a crescent wrench uup there to back up the nut. I do the furthest one first, then the closer one, so nothings in my way.

The crescent wrench is also easy to get tight on there by feel, and easier to loosen and remove from the nut when it's jammed against the tranny tunnel from tightening the bolt.

 

My cheap way
Plate of suitable dimensions (2" x 5" x 1/4" from memory) to spread the load and a piece of 1/4" bar along each side of the top plates to stop nuts turning.
All you are aiming for is to spread the clamping load and to stop the nuts from rotating.

 

why not just
1)dismount the torque arm from the rear end and the tranny
2) while on the bench bolt the 21mm and 18mm bolts all the way through
3) use stainless or regular steel bolts and fabricate 2 side by side plates welded to the bolts?

 

That works good if you've got a metal shop and a welder handy. When your car is a daily driver the need becomes more critical that you don't screw anything up and you work quickly. With the pieces I propose I can make them before I tear the car apart. If they work, great. If not I can put them back the way I've done it several times before. There is no harm done, no parts ruined, and very little time expended.

 

The people that make the beam plates make a tool exactly like you are describing for $45 http://www.zfdoc.com/tools.htm , scroll about half way down the page.

 

All you need is some aluminum channel with two holes drilled in it. I can't believe that people pay $180 for that crap. And there are more effective ways to ensure the beam doesn't slip besides distributing the bolt load and thereby DECREASING the clamping pressure holding it together. Unfortunatly my ideas aren't getting off the drawing board until I have the means to build my own shop.

 

I think some of you are really harsh about the beam plates being sold.I got a great deal from Bill Boudreax when he was first advertising them and he did a great job on them.I dont doubt alot of you can make the same stuff for alot less money...

Heres the thing...how many of you are going to market your plates and sell them super cheap?

By the time I learned welding and bought the equipment needed,it would be far more expensive than the 130 bucks or so I spent a few years back.

I recieved professional stainless steel tig welded brackets that to me were well worth the money since I had no way of doing it myself at home.At the time,they were something I wanted and chose to spend my money on.To me it was expensive but not as expensive as other mods that did nothing at all as the companies claimed.The brackets did their job and IMO was worth the money to me.

I know theyre expensive these days and for some they are not for everyone nor needed.But yet im tired of seeing so many people claim they can make the same for alot less money on here but yet have no plans to mass produce/sell them.Kudos to those that can,but dont steal an idea and brag how much cheaper you can do it for when youre plans is to make it for your car only.