Left hand thread lug nuts on driver side

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Stihl011

Stihl011

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On my 68 barracuda, I have all left had thread wheel lug studs. A couple are broken off so I want to replace them. I'm wondering if they are supposed to be LH. It seems odd. On the passenger side, they are all right hand threads.

As an aside, anyone got advice on pushing wheel lug studs in?
 
You have a DISC brake, or DRUM brake car?
Disc brake, you can just press them out, under the ram of a hydraulic press, or put the lug nut back on flush, back onto the stud and give it a whack or two with a BFH. (Big f ing hammer)
DRUM brakes you need to cut the wheel stud, as they are what's called Swedged onto the drum.
 
LOL funny story, I bought my 70 Swinger, got it home , was taking the wheels off. I broke a stud on the drivers side. I called the guy who sold it to me and said "what did you do when you put the lugs on, them things are tight" he 's like " Ya know what? I think those are left hand threads..." Im like "oooooohhhhhhh......." :)
 
hemi71x said:
You have a DISC brake, or DRUM brake car?
Disc brake, you can just press them out, under the ram of a hydraulic press, or put the lug nut back on flush, back onto the stud and give it a whack or two with a BFH. (Big f ing hammer)
DRUM brakes you need to cut the wheel stud, as they are what's called Swedged onto the drum.
Click to expand...

Remember this? :D
Fixing the Front Wheel Hub...
 
Left hand lug screws and nuts were a mis-conceived notion, hinged on the idea that left hand nuts would be less likely to unscrew while driving. Chrysler eventually abandoned the idea. Chrysler had lots of bold ideas and most exceeded expectations.

Personally, I change them to right hand.
There is a way to change them out using a C clamp and a socket that's just larger than the stud head. Not the kind of C clamp from Harbor Freight...a real one. I'm sure that you can imagine the rest. If you need more info, let me know
 
Its a drum brake car, so I guess I'm cutting them out?
I'm a bit confused by TrailBeast's linked post. It look like he is drilling out the posts, but then how do you get new ones back in, wouldn't they have to be a bigger size?
 
Chrysler was not the only company to use them. GM used them too.
 
Stihl011 said:
Its a drum brake car, so I guess I'm cutting them out?
I'm a bit confused by TrailBeast's linked post. It look like he is drilling out the posts, but then how do you get new ones back in, wouldn't they have to be a bigger size?
Click to expand...
No, don't drill them out larger.
Drilling the centers will relieve the pressure and gives the outer surface of the stud a place to collapse into.
If it's broken off flush, you mne, that you have to go left hand, two would be enough for me to go all "rights"
 
Michael Brisebois said:
No, don't drill them out larger.
Drilling the centers will relieve the pressure and gives the outer surface of the stud a place to collapse into.
If it's broken off flush, you mne, that you have to go left hand, two would be enough for me to go all "rights"
Click to expand...
Already ordered some right handed studs. Plus then all my lug nuts will match. My guess is the last person that dealt with this couldn't find matching nuts. In fact, I'm glad I broke off the post because they had installed a third style of lug nuts that were too small on one wheel.

So drill out the centers from the inside of the drum, push them out from the inside. Then push the new ones in from the inside?
 
I wouldn't drill anything other than broken off flush and don't drill through. A blind hole will give you a surface to push against.
Even then, I'd go with a big C clamp first, but I have a good selection. Put a socket over the head and clamp down from the other side. You can wack the screw end of the clamp, then tighten some more....they'll come out.
To get the new ones in, I line up the splines best possible and draw it in with the lug nut. You may want to stack washers behind the nut to get by the non-threaded area, washers also makes a slip surface so you don't mar the surface
 
There have been a couple of different ways people have removed the old studs without enlarging the hole. There have been many posts on this, but none very recently. So make sure you know a good procedure, because if the hub is ruined, the only option is buying another used hub.

And most people do go back with RH threads.
 
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I'm sure there are lots of good ways to do this, here's mine:

The socket needs to be of a dia. that can go around the head of the stud.

Get a short 5/16" socket head cap screw and is just longer than the 5/16" dia hole that you will drill down the center of the stud. DO NOT BREAK THROUGH. The studs are pretty hard, so use a low rpm and oil on the drill bit.

Insert the cap screw, put the socket around the "head" end of the stud and tighten the clamp, driving the stud into the socket.

A 5/16" socket head cap screw has a head dia of less than 1/2" and should be able to pass through the stud hole.
 

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So I've got some weirdness (at least to me) going on. My driver side front drum comes off without the hub. The passenger side doesn't. I thought this was an assembly. It does look like the studs are supposed to be pressed through through the hub and the drum. Am I correct in assuming this or are they supposed to come apart as two pieces? It seems like the service manual references "hub and drum assembly", which tells me they should be one piece. The fact that it comes off in two pieces makes me think I should replacing the drum too.

I should also note that the studs that are broken off are on the rear axle. Looking through the service manual, it looks like the studs on the rear are pushed through the hub that is connected to the shaft. Do I really need to pull the differential apart to replace these studs?

On a side note, the passenger side front also has what looks like a spring around the outside of the drum, whereas the driver side doesn't. What is this for? I don't see any reason for it or reference to it in the service manual.
 
Michael Brisebois said:
I'm sure there are lots of good ways to do this, here's mine:

The socket needs to be of a dia. that can go around the head of the stud.

Get a short 5/16" socket head cap screw and is just longer than the 5/16" dia hole that you will drill down the center of the stud. DO NOT BREAK THROUGH. The studs are pretty hard, so use a low rpm and oil on the drill bit.

Insert the cap screw, put the socket around the "head" end of the stud and tighten the clamp, driving the stud into the socket.

A 5/16" socket head cap screw has a head dia of less than 1/2" and should be able to pass through the stud hole.
Click to expand...

Am I correct that the reason you suggest a C clamp and not a hydraulic press for this job is because it is difficult to push out the studs in the rear using a press unless you take apart the differential, and I can do it with a C clamp just by taking off the wheel?
 
Boy, you gave everyone here, a severe lack of communication, with your problem(s)
If your studs are broken off in the Rear axle, just get a suitable punch of a big enough diameter, and then wack them out with a BFH. (big f'ing hammer)
They will come right out with a few wacks.
One of your front Drums has already been replaced and un swedged from the hub, so the drum on that side will just slide off and on.
Very common when replaced.
As far as that spring goes, around the outside diameter of the drum, it was originally thought it was going to do some good with vibrations upon braking.
But in the real world, it didn't do much good of anything, at all.
They did away with springs, decades ago, and you will never get a new, replacement drum with a spring.
When you replace the broken off studs on the rear axle, you just suck them back in with lug nut putting some flat washers on the stud before you put on the nut, to "press" the stud back in.
Easy peasy.
 
hemi71x said:
Boy, you gave everyone here, a severe lack of communication, with your problem(s)
If your studs are broken off in the Rear axle, just get a suitable punch of a big enough diameter, and then wack them out with a BFH. (big f'ing hammer)
They will come right out with a few wacks.
One of your front Drums has already been replaced and un swedged from the hub, so the drum on that side will just slide off and on.
Very common when replaced.
As far as that spring goes, around the outside diameter of the drum, it was originally thought it was going to do some good with vibrations upon braking.
But in the real world, it didn't do much good of anything, at all.
They did away with springs, decades ago, and you will never get a new, replacement drum with a spring.
When you replace the broken off studs on the rear axle, you just suck them back in with lug nut putting some flat washers on the stud before you put on the nut, to "press" the stud back in.
Easy peasy.
Click to expand...

Wow. This forum is seriously the best thing ever, at least for my car. Clearly, I don’t even know what is pertinent information. Thanks everyone.
 
Stihl011 said:
Am I correct that the reason you suggest a C clamp and not a hydraulic press for this job is because it is difficult to push out the studs in the rear using a press unless you take apart the differential, and I can do it with a C clamp just by taking off the wheel?
Click to expand...

Yes...and not everyone has access to a hydraulic press

Hiem71x is spot on. Many times a punch will work, I prefer to not swing a hammer from an awkward position. You can use the clamp method with full length studs aw well: leave the nut on and un-screw it out to flush with the end of the stud, as this will give you more stability
 
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