Securing crank while torquing flex plate bolts?

[SilverXJ]

What do you guys do for securing the crank while you torque the flex plate bolts down and the crank bolt down? Last time I used some bolts in the harmonic balancer with a pry bar and that didn't work to well. I know there is the old trick of putting some rope in a spark plug hole and use it to jam the crank using a piston to compress the rope.. don't know if thats really a good idea or not.

-Chris

[Alex22]

Common, slam it together like a flat rate hack. Impact wrench and a torque stick.

joking aside, a socket on the damper bolt and a breaker bar or ratchet should hold it in place while you torque the bolts. The break away torque on the damper bolt will be higher than the torque spec for the flex plate bolts. If the damper bolt loosens up you will have to re-torque it. If you use a piece of rope through the spark plug hole make sure its on the compression stroke.

~Alex

[Mgardiner1]

I use a flathead screw driver stuck in the teeth of the ring gear with the shaft of the screw driver up against the bottom of the engine (like a mini pry bar)

[John]

I use a 10" pry bar in the ring gear teeth also, the offset at the very end of the bar lets me have just the right angle to wedge every thing fast..
The slickest I have seen is a gent had a large old monkey wrench that he had drilled each jaw to take hardened steel pins driven in. Big strong adjustable pin wrench. Put it on the crankshaft/flywheel bolt holes and hold everything fast to tighten the harmonic balancer bolt on the other end, it was handy. I also use strap wrenches a lot.

John

[SilverXJ]

I tried using the pry bar method tonight to loosen the bolts... it didn't go so well kept slipping. I've done it before... but that was for the crank bolt and teh engine was installed so it had a lot more leverage. Since the pistons will be replaced I used the rope method. However, I don't think I will use that on reassemble of the new block.

[IH 392]

This.
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp ... ir=catalog

[SIXPAK]

Kinda hillbilly but that's me. I use a 6 point socket on a torque wrench and then put another 6 point socket on the next bolt. When you start tightening the bolt with the torque wrench the socket on the other bolt will rotate up and hit the block. Just be sure that the socket is on the bolt not being tightened squarely BEFORE it hits the block. Works every time for me.

[Diamond-x]

I use this:

[SilverXJ]

How does that work?