Lug Nut Removal Help Needed

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gerahead

gerahead

Glutton for Punishment
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I posted this question on the Members Restoration forum and didn't get any ideas so I thought that I would try here
My restoration project came to me with locking lugnuts on virtually every stud. These are the kind that have a pattern of lengthwise grooves in the nuts and were supplied with a matching socket to remove them. I have been able to get all of them but one (naturally!) off. The lone survivor has resisted all attempts at liberation. My last strategy was to grind the end of the lug nut flat and attempt to weld a 3/4" nut to the end and get a socket on it. I don't know what the nut is made of, but the weld would not stick to the nut. The wheels are aluminum slotted mags and even though I don't plan to re-use them on this project, I don't want to destroy it either if it can be avoided (otherwise I would have busted out the torch by now). Does anyone have ANY ideas? I am fresh out and am getting desperate! Thanks. L8r
 
What about that candle idea, where you heat up the lugnut and press a candle onto it! The wax draws itself into the threads and the lugnut comes right off!! Google it!!

There is also a reverse thread socket that you turn onto the lugnut! It turns counterclockwise u til the threads bottom out then it spins off the lugnut! My neighbor has been using one for the last week removing the locks on his sons car to do a brake job! The toughest part is getting the lug out of the socket, you have to clamp the lugnut into a vise and use a pipe wrench to turn the socket!! It works tho!

 
Have you tried to put a vise grips on it, then use a crescent wrench to turn the vise grips???
 
I was in the same situation a while ago. Just pound one of these on and spin it off with a ratchet. Worked great for me!

Cley
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Google "External Easy Out"
 
cosgig said:
What about that candle idea, where you heat up the lugnut and press a candle onto it! The wax draws itself into the threads and the lugnut comes right off!! Google it!!

There is also a reverse thread socket that you turn onto the lugnut! It turns counterclockwise u til the threads bottom out then it spins off the lugnut! My neighbor has been using one for the last week removing the locks on his sons car to do a brake job! The toughest part is getting the lug out of the socket, you have to clamp the lugnut into a vise and use a pipe wrench to turn the socket!! It works tho!

Click to expand...


The candle wax trick won't work because the ends of the lug nuts aren't open. I have a "set" of the sockets you speak of, but it doesn't have a size to fit the nuts. I guess I didn't think that they might be available in other sizes that I don't have. Duhhhh!
 
gerahead said:
I posted this question on the Members Restoration forum and didn't get any ideas so I thought that I would try here
My restoration project came to me with locking lugnuts on virtually every stud. These are the kind that have a pattern of lengthwise grooves in the nuts and were supplied with a matching socket to remove them. I have been able to get all of them but one (naturally!) off. The lone survivor has resisted all attempts at liberation. My last strategy was to grind the end of the lug nut flat and attempt to weld a 3/4" nut to the end and get a socket on it. I don't know what the nut is made of, but the weld would not stick to the nut. The wheels are aluminum slotted mags and even though I don't plan to re-use them on this project, I don't want to destroy it either if it can be avoided (otherwise I would have busted out the torch by now). Does anyone have ANY ideas? I am fresh out and am getting desperate! Thanks. L8r
Click to expand...
so you have just one lug holding the wheel on - have you tried putting regular lugs back on the other 4 to lessen the tension on the stuck one?
 
What year? Is it possible that you have left hand lug nuts on one or all but one wheel?
 
ScampMike said:
so you have just one lug holding the wheel on - have you tried putting regular lugs back on the other 4 to lessen the tension on the stuck one?
Click to expand...

I haven't been able to come up with something that will grip the nut. I fully intend to do just this if I could get hold of the damn nut!
 
Front or rear? If its a front, can you take the spindle nut off , remove the entire wheel/drum and grind the back of the stud off? Rears would be tough, get a drill out and go to town.
 
After I got one or two off I would have made the rounds of some tire stores to see if they had "the key"

Lacking that "Google" them, surely whoever made them can provide a replacement key
 
One can develop a lot of hate for locking lug nuts while working at a tire store. 1987 to 92 was my 4 year tour and soooo many customer were completely clueless, "I didn't know there were locking lugs on it so I surely dont know where to find the key".
A long 1/4 inch chisel with hammer and counterclockwise angle to the cut became my go to tools/solution.
 
I ran into this issue plenty of times when I was a jeep tech, too many people would use the impact gun to install them with the supplied key, and subsequently break them. After pounding on a socket that just be barely fit over it and keeping my fingers crossed, I purchased something similar to this off of one of the tool trucks 5pc Twist Socket Set 4 Damaged Worn Lug Nut and Lock Remover 17,19, 21mm, 22mm | eBay. ( I'm sure I overpaid,but it was before the interweb) so you might want to check your local parts store, as most have a loan-a-tool program and see if they have one. Another avenue to take is to contact member toolmanmike on here and see what he has available for this task.
 
RedFish said:
One can develop a lot of hate for locking lug nuts while working at a tire store. 1987 to 92 was my 4 year tour and soooo many customer were completely clueless, "I didn't know there were locking lugs on it so I surely dont know where to find the key".
A long 1/4 inch chisel with hammer and counterclockwise angle to the cut became my go to tools/solution.
Click to expand...
Not trying to make this thread go sideways, but I worked at a tire store from 84-86 and remember the 80's Buick/Cadillac wire wheel cover removal tool attached to the lug wrench in the trunk( sometimes) that was very similar just smaller scale. Boy I wanted to kick that genius engineer in the nuts. Now returning to our regularly scheduled program.
 
70dustah said:
Not trying to make this thread go sideways, but I worked at a tire store from 84-86 and remember the 80's Buick/Cadillac wire wheel cover removal tool attached to the lug wrench in the trunk( sometimes) that was very similar just smaller scale. Boy I wanted to kick that genius engineer in the nuts. Now returning to our regularly scheduled program.
Click to expand...

LOL! I am an engineer myself and many times have cursed the "genius" that designed what I was working on! I can relate! L8r
 
pishta said:
Front or rear? If its a front, can you take the spindle nut off , remove the entire wheel/drum and grind the back of the stud off? Rears would be tough, get a drill out and go to town.
Click to expand...

It is the front. I was thinking this very same thing might be my best option. Unfortunately, I just had herniated disc surgery and doing it this way is still outside my restricted zone. Thanks.
 
gerahead said:
It is the front. I was thinking this very same thing might be my best option. Unfortunately, I just had herniated disc surgery and doing it this way is still outside my restricted zone. Thanks.
Click to expand...
do you have an impact and a socket that you can hammer on there...??
 
An Air Chisel may impact it loose, but you have to be careful, an Air chisel will Phuc things up if not used properly.
 
ScampMike said:
do you have an impact and a socket that you can hammer on there...??
Click to expand...

That is how I got the rest of them off, but there is something different about this one that the socket won't grip it like the others. Thought that I was on to something until I got to the last one.
 
Then I would go with the special tool with an impact gun, it has yet to fail to remove one.
 
how about grinding it flat in two or three areas and then twisting it with vise grips or channel locks - essentially to break it into a few pieces?
 
or get an impact socket on it, put a non-ratcheting wrench on that and then a breaker bar on that - stand on it
 
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