When you are putting the nut back on keep in mind 
that torque is the distance x the force.
To make that simpler if you have a 12" bar on the 
socket and you weigh 300 lbs standing on it will 
give you 300 ft lbs of tq, if you use a 3' bar 
and weigh 100 lbs you get that same 300 ft lbs of tq.
Using that  t = l x f, my 200lbs on an 18" bar 
gives me that same 300 ft lbs, if I bounce a 
little I'm going above that. If I was torquing a 
steel bolt into an aluminum case I'd be real 
careful (don't want to strip it out) but if I was 
putting the nut back on the VW axle, me bouncing 
on the bar would work just fine.

Rob
becida@comcast.net

At  12/31/2006 02:05 PM, Jake de Villiers wrote:
>Yup, I agree with Rob.
>Off is a whole different story from on, unless you're working on one of my
>cars, 'cause I always use the copper high-temp anti-seize.   Makes life
>better.   :)
>
>Happy New Year you guys!
>
>On 12/31/06, Rob <becida@comcast.net> wrote:
>>
>>At  12/31/2006 11:38 AM, Nathaniel Poole wrote:
>> >That�s funny, because there is an extensive discussion on this in the
>>Samba
>> >archives, and they talked about six-foot breaker bars, extensions bolted
>>to
>> >this, special tools etc, etc. It sounded like a real headache.
>>
>>Sounds like a discussion about getting the nut loose.
>>
>>
>>
>>Rob
>>becida@comcast.net
>>
>>With a '91 Subaru 2.2 in an '87 Vanagon in western Washington.
>
>
>
>--
>Jake
>1984 Vanagon GL
>1986 Westy Weekender "Dixie"
>www.crescentbeachguitar.com