lug nuts, check them guys!

[oldsman71]

i have been working on my buddys 53 chevy for a while, friday we got the brakes bled,
rear shock mounts done, trans cross member done (looked really good), throttle pedel
and cable installed and working good. I left and he was going to double check stuff and
take it for a drive sat. he called me sat after noon to tell me he lost the right rear wheel.
we didnt install the wheels they were installed by the guy he bought the car from. He
is ok but the car is tore up, i will know more tomorrow but even as picky as i am i didnt
ever check the wheels! I guess the point is not to trust that someone else tightened
the wheels, the wheels were steal the nuts looked seated but they werent! he thinks
they may have been metric nuts if we would have trqed them we would have found this out!!!
so check yer nuts it might save your car :o :o :o!!!!!!

[SpiderGearsMan]

Re: lug nuts, check them guys!

on another site , one of the younger guys was driving his 54 buick from torrington , ct to brooklyn
his wheel fell of on 91 , a busy interstate , but it wasn't the usual silly experience
his girlfriend went flying out the door and died
if you ever go to the drags , a lot of sportsman racers check the torque of their wheels regularly

[oldsman496]

Re: lug nuts, check them guys!

Remember Unilug wheels?..... Had a flat and a friend gave me a spare Cragar with those unilug holes...well it won't matter how tight you get the nuts if the damn holes aren't round anymore.....folded the rear quater panel flat up against the trunk floor when the wheel came off. Tire went screaming through a nieghbor's rose garden at about 40 mph...and then thumped the siding off the corner of the house.... and of course the neighbor was home at the time......cars need wheels. they are important.

[82z]

Re: lug nuts, check them guys!

I have to constantly check the lugs on my draglites. I just take it for granted as something to do every week before I take the car out. I lost the whel on my 70 cutlass right after i had the brakes done. The shop at least paid to fix everything.

[Schtauffer]

Re: lug nuts, check them guys!

The best way is a torque wrench. I got laughed at a couple times at the track, but I don't mind a bit.

Lug nuts are among the most critical fasteners on a car; why not make absolutely sure they are tightened properly?

[SuperBuickGuy]

Re: lug nuts, check them guys!

I had a FJ-40 that was down for several weeks while I rebuilt the transmission. After I fixed it, I was driving it and had the privilege of watching the tire pull away from me as I left the freeway... fortunately, no one was hurt. Turns out my brother had borrowed the wheel and couldn't find a lug wrench to tighten it back on.

[A/Fuel]

Re: lug nuts, check them guys!

The best way is a torque wrench. I got laughed at a couple times at the track, but I don't mind a bit.

Lug nuts are among the most critical fasteners on a car; why not make absolutely sure they are tightened properly?

you got laughed at for using a torque wrench?

By a f*ing moron. Somebody who thinks 90 lb / ft is two long and two short blasts on his 1/2 air gun? Not even worth a response.

they get checked on our car before every run...100 ft-lbs.

[Schtauffer]

Re: lug nuts, check them guys!

The guy that laughed at me is the guy that seems to always have something broken and no money to fix it.

[98ciHemi]

Re: lug nuts, check them guys!

100 ft lbs or the car doesn't roll. Grandparents got me a craftsman torque wrench for christmas.

[Scott Liggett]

Re: lug nuts, check them guys!

I usually don't have a problem with shops not tightening them enough. Usually, it's their too tight. Even had stripped lugs, broken studs. I had a less than intelligent car buddy who put his new wide back tires on with just his fingers. His excuse was that he couldn't find his lug wrench. The wheel came off, the car came down on it, crushing the quarter panel and shooting the tire out hitting another car, putting a great big dent in it's door. When the owner overheard my buddy say he used his fingers to tighten the lugs, it took several people to keep him from killing my buddy.

My favorite was when I was a tires shop with my rusty 69 Impala. There was a Duster in the next stall with similar wheels. The guys mixed up the lug nuts and put three lugs from the Duster on my car. Those Mopars have same size stud, but with reversed threads. Well, they just zipped them on with their giant air impact. I got a whole block before those three studs snapped off and I nearly lost my wheel. I limped it back fuming. 5 minutes later the Duster owner came back in a similar mood. He had two of my lugs in his hand with broken studs still in them. We had to threaten lawsuits to get them to fix our cars free of charge.

[oldsman71]

Re: lug nuts, check them guys!

found out it didnt destroy the car just messed the wheel up ,drum, studs and brakes of course
it messed the quarter up also :-\ worst is today I realised the parts car i got from the same guy
had metric lugs on it that wouldnt tighten down (on a standard thread) and we had to find extra lugs for it!! >
the nuts on his car were also new off gold/silver color I think these dorks have a box of these
handy to give us the shaft!!!!! Ill be torqueing nuts from now on even if I know they are ok
(are they) ??? he couldnt find any of them but im sure thats what happened.

[SuperBuickGuy]

Re: lug nuts, check them guys!

So many stories about lug nuts.

Public service notice on studs. I saw on one of the Powerblock shows the host install new studs through the disk brake rotor with an impact wrench. I know by lesson, and watching someone do that very thing that it cracks/breaks studs.

Although, file this under the "go big, or go home" file: Bonus points if you do that on the rear axle and the tire comes off on hard acceleration, braking, or cornering. At least that way you may kill the driver and save your life from him taking yours.

[Fordplay0621]

Re: lug nuts, check them guys!

The place that did my Tires and Rims surprised me when the Mechanic walked out with a Torque Wrench and actually used it. I go there all the time now.

[SpiderGearsMan]

Re: lug nuts, check them guys!

cars are 94 ft lb - 100 ft lbs will work

[oldsman71]

Re: lug nuts, check them guys!

hopefully will get the 53 chevy back togather I guess my buddy got all the parts! :D