Had a lead mechanic tell me I was overthinking torque specs on interior panels

I was working on a CRJ cabin interior last week, putting in those sidewall panels that go over the windows. This old timer named Dave walks by and sees me checking the torque wrench three times on a number 10 screw. He just laughed and said "son, that screw holds up a piece of plastic, not a wing. Just snug it and move on." I gotta admit it hit different because I've been so focused on doing everything by the book that I forgot some jobs really don't need that level of precision. Now I'm wondering where else I'm wasting time being too careful. Has anyone else had a senior guy call them out for overkill on the simple stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

carter.thea11d ago

Oh man, I've been that guy with a torque wrench on a nonstructural bolt and felt like a total goof when the senior guy just smiled and shook his head lol. It's funny how we get so caught up in doing things perfect that we forget some screws just need to be tight enough to hold a plastic panel, not a landing gear. I've learned to save the precision for the stuff that actually matters and trust the "snug it and move on" wisdom for the rest.

amyr5711d agoTop Commenter

@carter.thea right? The senior guys always know where to save the fussin'!