Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi All,I have finally took the plunge and bought a 68 traveller,I have been looking at makita impact wrenches as I have the batteries,can anybody advice on newtons required for general mechanics please
Thanks Tim

Hi Tim, welcome to the world of Minor ownership and the Forum. An impact driver can be invaluable if you are trying to loosen a nut/bolt on an old car that has not been maintained for years, but for general maintenance and restoration work I suggest that all you need is a set of good spanners and sockets, and a torque wrench.

You won't thank yourself if you use an impact wrench to tighten wheel nuts at home, and then need to use a normal wheel brace to change a wheel at the roadside Even items like the starting handle dog on the front of the crankshaft usually yield without resorting to the impact. One time I needed one did surprise me: the oil filler on a 1098 ear axle was seized solid, but a few seconds with the impact driver soon loosened it. By all means buy a wrench, but use it sparingly.

Depending on how corroded/seized a nut or bolt is, using an impact to slacked them can shear off the stud or bolt. Although I do have an impact I much prefer using either spanners or sockets when there's more "feel" of how tight the nut or bolt is.

IMHO, unless it's a rust bucket that needs a complete strip and rebuild over the next few years, then buying an Impact Wrench, and the necessary sockets, is money that could have been spent on the car.

It's not required for regular maintenance.

Buy a variable torque model.

Tomglum wrote: ↑Sun Oct 05, 2025 10:01 am Hi All,I have finally took the plunge and bought a 68 traveller,I have been looking at makita impact wrenches as I have the batteries,can anybody advice on newtons required for general mechanics please
Thanks Tim

Thank you for replies,advice taken

Ive got a clark impact gun (others avilable) and it’s a god send. Dont think the brand you said do a gun with enough tourqe
When doing up wheel nuts I buzz them up which is a lot quicker than by hand and then use a torque wrench.
Theres no real need to get one but once you get one you'll use it regularly, if you do get ine also treat yourself to a set of inpact sockets (6sided ones) you can get imperial and witworth sets

Davemate wrote: ↑Mon Oct 06, 2025 1:44 pm Ive got a clark impact gun (others avilable) and it’s a god send. Dont think the brand you said do a gun with enough tourqe
When doing up wheel nuts I buzz them up which is a lot quicker than by hand and then use a torque wrench.
Theres no real need to get one but once you get one you'll use it regularly, if you do get ine also treat yourself to a set of inpact sockets (6sided ones) you can get imperial and witworth sets

I'd say that with a Classic, a Minor especially, using anything with power and a clutch mechanism for fitting bolts and nuts is a very risk business....

Remember you dont have to give it full beans when doing things up, just nip things up then get the torque wrench out.
Just easier and quicker with a gun, air guns are a lot more powerful than battery and have been used for years in garages probably since theses cars were new and are used to make the mechanics job easier and quicker
I’ve used one for years on all my classics and moderns and honesty ive never had any bolts snap or striped any threads.

Removing gearbox cover screws only takes a couple of minutes and my arm/wrist doesnt ache afterwards from using a basic screwdriver

Davemate wrote: ↑Tue Oct 07, 2025 3:13 pm Remember you dont have to give it full beans when doing things up, just nip things up then get the torque wrench out.
Just easier and quicker with a gun, air guns are a lot more powerful than battery and have been used for years in garages probably since theses cars were new and are used to make the mechanics job easier and quicker
I’ve used one for years on all my classics and moderns and honesty ive never had any bolts snap or striped any threads.

Removing gearbox cover screws only takes a couple of minutes and my arm/wrist doesnt ache afterwards from using a basic screwdriver

I have arthritic issues with my wrists, so I can agree with that; but then I use a ratchet handle for such multiple screw issues, or my electric drill at screwdriver speeds. I wouldn't go for an Impact Driver.

Davemate wrote: ↑Mon Oct 06, 2025 1:44 pm Ive got a clark impact gun (others avilable) and it’s a god send. Dont think the brand you said do a gun with enough tourqe
When doing up wheel nuts I buzz them up which is a lot quicker than by hand and then use a torque wrench.
Theres no real need to get one but once you get one you'll use it regularly, if you do get ine also treat yourself to a set of inpact sockets (6sided ones) you can get imperial and witworth sets

Agree with you, Dave. Not a necessity but a useful tool if you have one. I often use my battery screwdriver for winding small nuts on/off. I rarely use my electric impact wrench, but handy when needed. The impact driver (thump with hammer) jobbie is always available for awkward screws.

Never fully tighten anything with an impact driver unless you are asking for trouble.

Keep the dakka dakka's to a minimum for best results. Minors have such small hardware, it's far too easy to snap one just using hand tools. An air ratchet or electric ratchet makes more practical sense. I need to get one myself; repetitive motion wreaks havoc on my hands.

Just to clarify my tat tat gun is used on bolts etc but as others have said i use a power screwdriver for smaller stuff like gearbox cover screws

I bought a mains electric one a few years when replacing the pinion seal on the differential, there was no way of moving the nut with a breaker bar whilst lying on the floor.

I haven't used it much.since, but friends have borrowed it from time to time, ideal for fwd hub nuts for example.

an electric ratchet is also a great tool, not a great deal of torqe but speeds up jobs no end especialy when you have to run nuts down in tight spaces, mine is 3/8 drive Milwskee.
I've also got a dewalt impact wrench, great for umdoimg tight nuts and running fastners up, with both of them always start the fastner by hand and tighten with a torque wrench or by hand (not many torques listed for the minor suspension etc)