Changing a flat tire.... with a sledgehammer??

Aluminum paint works as a "poor-man's antisieze" that doesn't fly all over the place. Mut it needs to be "aluminum paint" not just any silver couloured enamel or laquer.

"Stormin Mormon" on Tue, 25 Oct

2011 17:53:34 -0400 typed in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

word to the wise, when you are on-line in the Library at 2 PM, and some one tells you that you truck has a flat tire; then is the time you should go change the flat. Not five hours later, once it has started to rain, and it is well after dark ... Oh, and keep a flashlight in the truck helps if you do wait too long, too. Dum, da dum-dum Dumb!

pyotr

-- pyotr Go not to the Net for answers, for it will tell you Yes and no. And you are a bloody fool, only an ignorant cretin would even ask the question, forty two, 47, the second door, and how many blonde lawyers does it take to change a lightbulb.

It's more important on the CLOSED nuts, because if and when THOSE suckers seize up, good luck getting any usefull penetrant onto the threads. At leat with an open ended nut, with protruding stud threads, you have somewhere to soak with penetrating oil.

If you look real closely at the studs, sometimes you can see if they have left hand threads.Write it down on a piece of cardboard and keep that in the glove compartment.I always use my 4 wrench to spin the lug nuts off and on, and then tighten them up. cuhulin.

Only one flashlight? How primitive. :)

Part of the emergency kit in my trunk is a 12V. tire inflator compressor with light (yes I have used it on my vehicle one time as opposed to four times on other vehicles) that I bought for $0.50, along with booster cables etc., etc. Oh yeah, in the glove box sits the crank up flashlight that the dealership gave me for free about seven years ago. Gerry :-)} London, Canada

I used to carry a handheld floodlight in my service truck. It was wired into one of the auxiliary 12V ports and laid on the dash. I was heading home one night on a highway and some ass shined a bright light in my eyes. I flipped that light on, and returned the favor. It was a state trooper who turned on all his lights and the siren. He claimed that he was trying to read my license plate, but I had no right to use my light. I told him that I wanted to meet him in a courtroom, and have him explain to the judge why he had the right to endanger other vehicles. He got in the cruiser and left.

If you want to 'dress up' your vehicle? Keep a pair of leather gloves in your car, they will keep the dirt and grime off of your hands when changing a flat tire. cuhulin

Those that had left-hand threads only tended to have them on one side of the car, IIRC. And the ones which I experienced had the letter 'L' stamped into the end of the stud on that side, and 'R' stamped into the end of the stud on the other side.

The car which I remember this from was either my MGA or the Hudson Hornet, which I had about the same period.

I seem to remember the left-hand threads being on the left hand side of the car. Am I mis-remembering?

Enjoy, DoN.

no, you're correct about the left/vs right sides.

pretty much all of the foreign-designed cab-forward light trucks and many big rigs use this because if any nut is loose enough to be subject to precession, it'll tighten rather than loosen. pressession direction is clockwise on the right, counter-clockwise on the left. [assuming you're driving forwards of course!] it's a very good safety feature. especially on vehicles where you can't rely on the driver to be conscientious about checking such things - like light fleets.

spelling: "precession"

You remember correctly - and I believe the early Hudson had lefties. Some of the early Brit stuff did too. I think the T series MG did. Not sure about the "B"

SWMBO says that four on the desk by my right hand is too many! Gerry :-)} London, Canada

The left handed threads were used on wheels with knock-off wheel nuts. These were used on racing cars and cars with wire wheels. The idea was to facilitate fast tire changes and in the case of wire wheels, the only practical solution. A lot of them had spinners which you'd hit with a soft hammer to loosen and then the nut was removed by hand. The MGB my friend had used a wrench to loosen the hub nut. Those had the nut marked "undo" with an arrow to tell you which was the correct way. I wish modern cars had these - they are neat!

My assumption is that these left handed treads are on the single nuts for the center of the axle and not the regular multiple, concentric, nuts and bolts used on most cars. Would this be correct? Thanks.

-My assumption is that these left handed treads are on the single nuts

-for the center of the axle and not the regular multiple, concentric,

-nuts and bolts used on most cars. Would this be correct? Thanks.

I learned the hard way that Army trucks had left-handed studs on the left side. Thick paint obscured the "L".

A buddy and I 'unscrewed' the 1" lug nut as though it were right-handed, then had to beg the motor pool to replace the broken stud for us. They were sufficiently impressed that two skinny tech geeks were able to bust it off to not insult us.

OTOH they figured that qualified us to mount split rim truck tires.

jsw

no, it's the "regular" nuts. as j.w. points out, unless they're adequately labeled, people unfamiliar with the the reason behind it can find their use confusing.

Three old aircooled Volkswagens I have owned before, not all three at the same time though, 1961 VW van, 1963 VW beetle, and 1970 VW van.I once needed to remove and replace the rear axel gland nuts on my 1963 VW beetle car.I don't remember the torque rating, but somewhere between 275 foot pounds and up.I have an old VW repair book here, I can look it up. cuhulin

IIRC, POWERED WHEELS need about 200 lb-ft on the drive wheels (in a

4x4 that would be ALL wheels) for the axle nut.

For the non-powered wheels, 20 lb-to snug them (the axel nuts), then loosen them, then tighten by hand only, and back of to point where you can thread a cotter pin through the castle nut.

Lg