GQJ 150 Torque Wrench

[RHinCT]

I'm new here, and only joined to ask about one specific tool that must have come to me via my late father-in-law. Google has found me nothing about the tool, but at least it did find me this site!

It is a Snap-on torque wrench. About 9" long, 3/8" drive. Markings are white (now gray for some) on black. What I take to be the model is GQJ 150. What may be the serial number is SOAL00069. If there is a difference between the capital O in the second position and the 000 I can no see it; I assume that SOAL are letters, 00069 numbers. 69 seems like a rather low serial number, if that is what it is.

The handle is rubber. Viewing the handle end, it is asymmetrical. Rotating the handle changes the torque setting. The 3/8" square drive slides off; it can be put back two ways: RH (CW) or LH (CCW). Between the handle and the shaft is a large grooved ring marked LOCK <----> UNLOCK, which rotates a bit to change that setting.

I have no idea if it works, or even how one would know a user would know that a specific torque has been reached.

[snapmom]

I think this wrench has interchangeable heads, you can see on the head where you can pull back and insert different heads. attached is a picture of one similar to yours.

[RHinCT]

An interesting idea, lets see what I can figure out. So far, I don't think it is.

Just short of the end there are silver colored ends of some sort of pin. Both ends appear to be mushroomed, as I can catch a fingernail under both. The one visible in the next photo is a bit wider than the other. If as I expect it is a single piece it is not removable, and must have been installed by mushrooming one end like a rivet.

There is a bit sticking out of the end though. That is spring loaded. Quite a strong spring. I can push it in, but it takes some force, and doing so doesn't seem to free anything up.

The end is rectangular, not square, as it the hold in the piece with the 3/8" drive which fits over it.

IMG_8894.jpg (57.06 KiB) Viewed 3276 times

[RHinCT]

Turning the handle changes where it comes out on the torque scale. The lines on the shaft range from 150 to 30 LB IN. There are ten lines that turn with the handle, with numbers 0 2 4 8 marking every other line. That appears to indicate the right-most digit of torque.