1" square socket for F&M filter

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

I just made a 1" square socket needed to install the F&M oil filter adapter.

Found a scrape piece of square tube with a 1" inside diameter about 2" long. Had to file the inside corners square so it fight tightly over the F&M filter adapter. Welded a washer to the other end then a broken socket to that in order to attach a torgue wrench. Alternately if the washer hole was 3/8" or 1/2" you could file the round hole to a square to fit the torque wrench. In either case make sure to get the torque wrench square hole in the middle of the socket. Total cost $0

If I was installing these things ever day I'd buy a socket. But for the once or twice I might install /remove the F&M filter it works fine.

I also considered a 1-3/16" 12 point socket but it didn't fit tight enough and I figured the small surface area the 12 point socket would have would lead to rounding of the square adapter.

[GAHorn]

Very clever Bruce. How 'bout welding a 1/2" I.D. square tube inside the 1" square tube? Rotating the 1/2" tube 90-degrees brings it's corners withing striking distance of the I.D. on the 1" tubing so that a wire-feed welder makes the gap.

[zero.one.victor]

Yeah,pretty slick idea,Bruce. If the reject socket was big enough OD you could forego the washer & just weld the socket inside the square tubing. Kinda like what George is suggesting about the 1/2" ID tubing. A while back I made a 3/8" drive adapter for my drill motor ( for speedy R&R of nuts & bolts,at work) by grinding a worn-out 1/4" zip-driver into a square shape,then welding it into the female end of a 3/8" drive extension. ( Got it good & straight the first time,it didn't even wobble. ) Kinda the same deal.
I used a 1" crow's-foot to tork my filter adapter. It worked OK,I didn't worry too much about the slight increase in arm (& resultant slightly higher tork) caused by the offset (or whatever you'd call it) of the crow's-foot. But it caused some extra work,because I had to pull the alternator to get enough room for the crow's-foot. A 1" square socket woulda been better. Maybe I'll make one up when I get a chance,so I'll be ready for next time.
The F&M installation sheet sez to re-tork after 10 hours. I put that off until the next oil change (35 hours) because of having to pull the alternator to use the crow's foot. With the 1" socket,it woulda been a no-brainer.

Eric

[Mike Smith]

I found an 8-point 1" socket at the local tool store (not autoparts store, tool shop) and it worked famously! I didn't know a mechanic well enough to ask to borrow a "real" square one. I now have the new gaskets on my El Reno filter adapter and it doesn't leak a drop. I've flown it about 8 hours since the "fix".

Thanks George for all your help and advice, you and the others on this forum have been GREAT. Hopefully this will solve my oil filter adapter leaking for good