front wheel studs

AA Ford Discussion Group relating to the repair and restoration of your AA Ford.
Matt
Posts: 134
Joined: December 8th, 2013, 4:21 pm
Body Type: 76-A
Model Year: 1929
Location: 8453 Main St Kinsman Ohio 44428

front wheel studs

Post by Matt »

My wheel studs on my 1929 AA are spinning on my front hubs. How do I get the lug nuts off? Please Help!

Matt
SHELBY MESSER
Posts: 752
Joined: March 9th, 2009, 8:06 pm
Body Type: 75-A
Model Year: 1930
Location: Sacramento, Ca.

Re: front wheel studs

Post by SHELBY MESSER »

Matt, You will have to pull the hub off. I have a '29 for over 30 years but have never seen the inside of the hubs. I don't know if it has a nut. If it has you can try tighting the nut. If no nut You will have to weld the head of the lug bolts in a couple of places each then remove the lug nuts. (remember L&R threads) Shelby, Louisiana.
Matt
Posts: 134
Joined: December 8th, 2013, 4:21 pm
Body Type: 76-A
Model Year: 1929
Location: 8453 Main St Kinsman Ohio 44428

Re: front wheel studs

Post by Matt »

I cant pull the hub off because the hub cap is on which is held on by the budd wheel.

Matt
Ulysses6
Posts: 36
Joined: May 29th, 2013, 6:05 pm
Body Type: 89A
Model Year: 1929

Re: front wheel studs

Post by Ulysses6 »

Easiest way would be to blow them off with a torch, being careful not to cut into the wheels. Someone that uses a torch on a regular basis, could do the work without any damage to the wheels.
Matt
Posts: 134
Joined: December 8th, 2013, 4:21 pm
Body Type: 76-A
Model Year: 1929
Location: 8453 Main St Kinsman Ohio 44428

Re: front wheel studs

Post by Matt »

You mean blow off the lug nuts? I was worried about damaging the wheel.

Matt
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spectria
Posts: 1874
Joined: May 15th, 2008, 9:53 pm
Body Type: Mail Truck, Stakebed
Model Year: 1931
Location: Quincy, Ca.

Re: front wheel studs

Post by spectria »

Matt wrote:My wheel studs on my 1929 AA are spinning on my front hubs. How do I get the lug nuts off? Please Help!

Matt
All the studs are spinning? You know that right side is normal counterclockwise, but left side is backwards, Turn the left side clockwise to remove.

If its just one or two studs apply allot of heat to the nuts and let them cool, then do it again, several times, this may loosen the rust, then try soaking/spraying with kroil, or other rust beater. Then ram a wedge between the wheel and hub to put added pressure on stud and nut and use an impact style tool to try and spin them off.
CAUTION Let the air out of the tire if using a torch near the wheels. Caution airing them back up, make sure the ring is fully seated and did not move, standard precautions when filling a Split rim apply.
Dave in Quincy, Ca. I love Pics!!!! Post them All!!! :)
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Matt
Posts: 134
Joined: December 8th, 2013, 4:21 pm
Body Type: 76-A
Model Year: 1929
Location: 8453 Main St Kinsman Ohio 44428

Re: front wheel studs

Post by Matt »

Thanks a lot for your help. I will try that.

Matt
Stakebed
Posts: 1223
Joined: June 14th, 2007, 7:29 pm
Body Type: Grainbox
Model Year: 1929
Location: Illinois

Re: front wheel studs

Post by Stakebed »

yea the thread thing gets me every time.

i would spray them all for a few days with kroill or somehting then heat them up best you can then try takign them off hot. Try to heat the nut as hot as you can as quick as you can to get it to expand before the stud does and imediately throw an impact on the hot nut.
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1crosscut
Posts: 877
Joined: December 25th, 2010, 7:22 pm
Body Type: 82-A
Model Year: 1929
Location: Lincoln, NE

Re: front wheel studs

Post by 1crosscut »

Now that they are spinning it is going to be a bugger to get them to come off. Consider using an angle grinder to grind down the tip of the lug nut flat until you reach the stud. Lay a 3/8" nut on the end of the now exposed stud and weld through the center of the nut attaching it to the stud. You can then use a 9/16'' socket to hold the nut and a box end wrench on the lug nut. The 3/8" nut is small enough that it will pass through the lug nut. Some heat to the lug nut may be needed to help things along.
And yes Spectra is right that the latter 29s have the left hand threads on the left side.
Once you get it off you can tack weld the studs on the inside so they won't spin in the future.
Dave
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Dave
Reds34
Posts: 603
Joined: May 15th, 2010, 2:34 pm
Body Type: dump
Model Year: 1930
Location: Eastern, CT

Re: front wheel studs

Post by Reds34 »

How nice are your hub caps?

Red
ModelAkid
Posts: 478
Joined: June 3rd, 2013, 6:15 pm
Body Type: 186-B stake
Model Year: 1931
Location: LHC Arizona & UP Michigan

Re: front wheel studs

Post by ModelAkid »

Try a nut splitter on the lug nuts, that will really loosen them up so they should come off. MAKE SURE YOU ARE TURNING THEM THE RIGHT WAY. Once the wheel is removed you can removed the drum and check to see why the studs are turning. If the stud holes in the drum are stripped, replace the drums. I have good '28-29 drums I can sell you.
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spectria
Posts: 1874
Joined: May 15th, 2008, 9:53 pm
Body Type: Mail Truck, Stakebed
Model Year: 1931
Location: Quincy, Ca.

Re: front wheel studs

Post by spectria »

1crosscut wrote:Now that they are spinning it is going to be a bugger to get them to come off. Consider using an angle grinder to grind down the tip of the lug nut flat until you reach the stud. Lay a 3/8" nut on the end of the now exposed stud and weld through the center of the nut attaching it to the stud. You can then use a 9/16'' socket to hold the nut and a box end wrench on the lug nut. The 3/8" nut is small enough that it will pass through the lug nut. Some heat to the lug nut may be needed to help things along.
And yes Spectra is right that the latter 29s have the left hand threads on the left side.
Once you get it off you can tack weld the studs on the inside so they won't spin in the future.
Dave
Dave's post is brilliant, and the welding process will help loosen the rust and threads...
Heat and vibration will loosen anything.
Another possibility is a die grinder to cut the nut lengthwise to free it.
Dave in Quincy, Ca. I love Pics!!!! Post them All!!! :)
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tiredtruckrestorer
Posts: 338
Joined: April 20th, 2003, 7:09 pm
Model Year: 1931
Location: Orwigsburg, PA

Re: front wheel studs

Post by tiredtruckrestorer »

Matt, The wheel studs on the 28-29 trucks have a round flat head that has a section clipped off at one spot. This flat section catches a ridge inside the drum that keeps it from turning. After the stud is inserted through the drum and hub it is then put in a press and the outer shoulder of the stud gets swedged over to hold it in. Yours may just have to be put in a press and recrimped again. The A's had the same setup, but on a smaller scale. Check the vendors catalogs and you can see the tool they sell to do it. I had to make my own for the AA size studs though. Good luck getting the nuts off.

Keith
E.Moore
Posts: 439
Joined: April 15th, 2005, 5:35 pm
Model Year: 1930
Contact:

Re: front wheel studs

Post by E.Moore »

Before applying any heat to a wheel with a tire still mounted to it, regardless whether the schrader valve has been removed, one should watch the You Tube warning about intense heat on a wheel. People have been killed welding wheel rims with the tire still mounted to it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiLeji8bLOk

If the truck were mine, the hubcap would be cut off and the entire wheel with drum removed in order to use Vice Grips or some other tool to hold the wheel stud from turning.
Matt
Posts: 134
Joined: December 8th, 2013, 4:21 pm
Body Type: 76-A
Model Year: 1929
Location: 8453 Main St Kinsman Ohio 44428

Re: front wheel studs

Post by Matt »

It doesn't have a tire on it. My Hubcap is to nice to cut.

Matt
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