Left side lugnut studs

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Chryslerkid

Chryslerkid

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Hi guys

Why would someone install left sided lugnut studs on one side of a rear end? Just figured out why I damaged my wheel with my impact gun trying to take off some rusty lugnuts. Any thoughts?
 
They probably needed to fix one stud on one wheel and decided to do the whole wheel. Then figured they'd get to the other one and never did.
 
Chryslerkid said:
Hi guys

Why would someone install left sided lugnut studs on one side of a rear end? Just figured out why I damaged my wheel with my impact gun trying to take off some rusty lugnuts. Any thoughts?
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Mopar did that from the factory from i think 1962-1972? driver side came with Left hand thread it should have a L stamped on the stud. Why i dunno? i heard so the consumer wouldnt be able to take their tires off and have to take them in to get serviced
 
Slantsix64 said:
Mopar did that from the factory from i think 1962-1972? driver side only it should have a L stamped on the stud.
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Seriously? Well I feel dumb. Just add the studs t the list of parts needed to rebuild the brake system.
 
Chryslerkid said:
Seriously? Well I feel dumb. Just add the studs t the list of parts needed to rebuild the brake system.
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its a comman thing dont sweat it they easy to change out you just have to take out the brake shoes and hardware wd-40 hit them out.I bought a Barracuda 1967 and it took a while for the previous owner to get it on the trailer because he kept braking stubs trying to take out the flat. i kept telling him its left handed he thought i was an idiot. until i drove out 2 hours and showed him.
 
Mopar used lefties so that they wouldnt loosen up over time due to harmonics....
Stopped in 73 after 193,765,355 complaints!
 
Shouldnt have to pull brakes apart. Studs should come out and go back in with ease.
Do yourself a favour and get a couple fine thread regular nuts and a couple washers. Grease between washers and a drop of oil on splines, studs should pull right up. Road test and retorque.
 
Lol! I broke two off on mine before I realized they were righty-loosy!
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Older mopar's weren't the only ones. A lot of the old Brit cars have left handed threads as well. The Brit cars used knock off's, and the theory is that on the driver's side, if the thread is the standard right hand the inertia of the spinning wheel can loosen the knock-off. So, the threads on the driver's side were made left hand so that the inertia of the spinning wheel would tighten the knock-off, just like on the driver's side. But the knock off's are basically a single lug nut located right at the center of the axle, so there's more relevance to the theory because the wheel and knock-off rotate on the same axis.

Now, with lug nuts the theory gets a little harder to follow because the lugs aren't at the center of the axle like the knock-offs are, so the lugs don't rotate on the same axis as the wheel. But that's were the idea came from, the theory would go that if the lugs were normal right hand threads the tire rotating in the opposite direction could have some loosening effect.

There was a "study" done on it back in the day, which concluded that if RH lugs are used on the driver's side of the car and not tightened properly they can actually loosen. If they're properly torqued though, nothing happens. Check out this article (it's a real article, not sure why the link shows up like that)

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Well sheesh! Thanks for all the info. Do u guys hunk I should replace them with new left handed studs or put them bothe to righty???
 
Chryslerkid said:
Well sheesh! Thanks for all the info. Do u guys hunk I should replace them with new left handed studs or put them bothe to righty???
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Just replace them with RH studs and remember to properly torque the nuts. :D
 
sireland67 said:
Had a 71 challenger with leftys.
Also have a 70 challenger I just bought, roller, it has leftys on one wheel.
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You buy the 71, new?
Who's to say the drum, rotor, axle studs, were replaced early in it's life getting a brake job, due to worn down metal to metal parts.
Lot's happen on now going on 50 year old cars.
70 is the last year for Lefties, on the assembly lines.
And for what it's worth, bought a 71 new back in the day, (Cuda) and all righties.
 
71 not new but it was basically a virgin, right down to the hubcaps. They were lefts.
 
I cant remember if my 70 Charger had lefties now.... It was my first car and I remember learning this lesson at an early age..
Hmmm. Confused...
 
sireland67 said:
Had a 71 challenger with leftys.
Also have a 70 challenger I just bought, roller, it has leftys on one wheel.
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I had 2 low miles 71 Challengers with left hand threads front and rear on the left side. Both were early build, unmolested cars. One was 6 cyl. 3 speed with small rear, other was 318 Auto 8 3/4
 
The 69 Swinger 330 I am redoing right nowhas RH all the way around. Converted in the 70s I am sure.
 
Ok, then lets say some early build, August 1970 cars, for 1971, snuck trough with lefties on them, until the parts inventory was used up.
Something like that, i could agree with.
 
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LH lugs weren't only on Mopars. Pre 65 Buick, Olds,and Pontiac had 'em too. Studebaker until 62, I think. Rolls and Bently too. Plus a few others that don't come to mind right now.
 
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Years ago, I watched a guy at a tire store snap off two studs from a 68 (I think) Dart before another tire buster told him they were left hand threads. While I was still there, they tried to tell the customer that two of his studs were bad and they broke. I spoke up and the customer wound up not having to pay.
 
Changing the left front to right hand thread studs wont be a simple/easy as changing the rear.
If I wasn't going to change 10 studs I would just replace the few broken at rear with OEM left hand threads.
 
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