yesterday I need to fix something around the house

I reached into my toolbox

my trusty old torque wrench caught my eye

for those of you who are not gear heads like me

let me explain what a torque wrench does

it controls precisely how much you tighten a bolt

to get the designed compression in the joint

I bought my torque wrench over fifty years ago

its initial use was rebuilding the engine of my first car

there is a sequence in tightening the cylinder head bolts

the wrench goes click when you apply the right torque

I learned a lot about cars back then

I spent more time tinkering than driving

I took classes in car mechanics and studied hard

determined to learn how everything worked on that car

I just had to dismantle every part and reassemble it

friends and family brought their cars to me

to service and repair

I learned how to fix bodywork and spray paint 

it became a part time business when I was seventeen

I figured out how to rebuild engines and tune them for extra power

a few years later I joined a local car racing club

I met a very enthusiastic race car owner

who loved to drive his racing Mini Cooper very fast

he knew absolutely nothing about the mechanics

an instant partnership was formed

I taught him how to tune his Mini Cooper

we travelled all over the UK to race meetings

he let me drive the car during practice sessions

eventually he moved on to open wheel race cars

he sold me his racing Mini Cooper and trailer

I became a one man race team owner driver and mechanic

my trusty torque wrench often went click late into the night

I spent two seasons racing that mini at race circuits all over England

it was hard work but so rewarding to race a car that I maintained myself

I retired from race car driving to focus on my career

that torque wrench remained in my toolbox for decades

just holding it brings back memories

click click