edge04

I saw a video from froggy removing his wheel studs on his C5Z. Is that the same procedure for removing on a C6? Just curious if anyone has found and easier way then removing the spindle? Not that that's super hard but always looking for short cuts. I did see his option to drill a hole for future. Do you have to remove the hub in front as well? thanks

GO_BLUE_VETTES

I watched the Froggy video and did it that way, removing the spindle on the first side. On the second side, I was able to get the longer studs in without removing the spindle. I was able to angle the stud into the hole. I couldn't just push it in, I had to spin it with my fingers and "walk" the head of the stud against the upright. It wasn't easy! Depending on the as-built tolerances of your parts it may or may not work.

Installing 2.5" ARPs on a 2002 C5 Z06 with stock bearings.

All that said, using the impact wrench with washers stretched the threads on several lug nuts so I threw them away. Overall, I felt like the threads may have also been slight marred by the then stretched lug nut.

If I had to do it again tomorrow, I'd remove the bearing fully and use a press....

edge04

looks like the front hubs are an easy removal

also looks like hub removal may be the route I go

94boosted

What is the link to the video?

What about on the C6 (GS & Z06) can it be done without removal of the hub? Any how to's or videos?

LateBreak

I just did this for ARP fronts on my car. I used a lugnut with washers and an impact on one before opting to do the rest of them in a press. Using the lug nut method is just too hard on the threads and IMO it defeats the purpose of stronger lugs by damaging them on installation. Granted, a high pressure grease and a bearing instead of washers could do the trick, but I didn't have either at the time.

I think the ideal way to do it on the car would be some kind of hollow cylinder on a porta-power, but it'd have to be pretty short.

Bill Dearborn

The Service Manual recommends using a lug nut/washers to pull the new stud into place. I have a cheap lug flat faced open end nut I bought several years ago to do this and have never had an issue with the threads in the lug nut stretching. I install the washers followed by installing the nut backwards with the flat face against the washers and pull the stud through. It doesn't take that much force to pull the stud through the hole.

Bill

LateBreak

My ARP's, for one reason or another, were very tough to pull through. I tried lining up the splines but it seemed like the ARP's were splined different than the originals which made it harder to get seated. The press made it a lot easier, but it still required some force to make them go.

troyguitar

I need to change my studs (C5Z) to make room to run spacers more safely - seems like some conflicting information out there. Do I need a press or just a sacrificial lug nut?

froggy47

Hi all,

There will ALWAYS be conflicting information because some folks will do it the wrong/hard way and others won't.

For an update on mine, my ARP studs are in perfect shape (buy the best & be done) many years later. As for the lug nut I used to pull 20 ARP studs in, if you were born lacking the common sense gene, let me be emphatic, THROW IT AWAY when you are done.

For Christmas sake, GREASE the stud and go slow, you are not a wheel man on Jimmy Johnson's car.

As for pressing, mostly folks who try this end up with the splines mashed and the lug crooked, it's not as easy as it looks (done it both ways).

For c6 fronts, just try it, spin the hub and see if one of the studs lines up with some space/clearance behind it, tap it out (put a nut on so you don't damage threads). The new one will be longer & need more space/clearance. Don't buy longer than you need. DRM might have some special lengths.

If it doesn't go, pull the hub or put the oem back in and think some more.

C6 rears, don't know, when I get one I'll do the video.

Hope this helps.

edge04

front is a 15 min job. no need to remove hub

troyguitar

Damn I need the spacers in the rear, sounds like a bit of a pain. Guess I should do it anyway though, been running with 1/4" spacers on the stock studs/nuts and am not super comfortable with how little thread is actually being engaged. (granted they've been on there for 5000 miles and 3 autox events, so it can't be that bad)

Bill Dearborn

The rears can be done the same as the fronts with a little extra work. The knuckles on the rear are the same as the fronts but just switched from side to side. There is a notch in the knuckle where the caliper mounts that permits access to the back of the hub flange. It isn't a straight shot into the stud holes but it is close enough if the studs aren't too long. In the rear of the car that notch is covered by the backing plate and the parking brake spring mounts are right in that area. You can drill a hole in the backing plate close to the spring mount and can remove/insert lug studs through the hole. Just be careful with the drill so you don't get too close to that little tab for the parking brake spring.

If you are putting a thin spacer on you can sometimes just install a stock length stud that has threads all the way to the end. I put a 1/8 space behind my wheels on my C5Z and all I had to do was replace the stock studs that aren't threaded all the way to the end with a set of Dorman studs that were. I gained approximately a 1/4 inch of extra threads. That let me use my stock lug nuts on the street when I didn't have a spacer behind the wheel. It worked like a charm and the lug nut threads were fully engaged with the stud when I had the spacer behind the wheel.

Bill

froggy47

If you throw away the stock nuts (they are not threaded all the way on either end - go figure why) and replace them with fully threaded open end nuts, you will gain 2-4 threads.

troyguitar

Hmm thanks for the extra info, looks like I might be able to get away with just swapping nuts. 2 more threads would be enough that I'd be fine with continuing to run things the way they are (especially since I plan to go back to stock wheels without spacers next year, eliminating the problem).

ErnieN85

If you want to use a press let me know I have a 20 ton shop press.
you cold stop by and use it

edge04

I'm just getting around to the rears. Are you sure about drilling on the side with the parking brake spring mount? It looks like there would be more room on the other side which would match how you remove/install on the front. Just checking. Thanks

froggy47

The trouble with drilling the backing plate IIRC is when I looked at doing it, you had to drill on an angle.

Ever tried drilling on an angle? Sure you can start with a little hole & get bigger. But it still sucks & the bit jams a lot.

But really most guys are afraid of pulling the corner, Just do it, it's not that bad. When you need ball joints you are gonna pull it anyway, so WTF.

edge04

I probably go ahead and pull them.

But what I was referring to is what you are in this video right around the 10 min mark. Looking at it, it does look like I can drill a hole, may not be easy but doable.

LateBreak

Like froggy has said, if you're tracking the car at all, you'll end up trashing the hubs in short order anyway, so drilling holes for the sake of not pulling the hubs to install studs is a bit silly It also gives you a good opportunity to carefully inspect the hubs while you have it apart as the rears can be hard to 'feel' when they're bad with the axle running through them.

Bill Dearborn

I am talking about the same as doing the fronts. Without that notch in the spindle you wouldn't be able to get the stud past the spindle. The notch is where the brake caliper mounts to the spindle and toward the front of the car. It is ~ in front of that parking brake spring clip. There are three of the clips, one forward of the spindle, one rearward of the spindle and one at the top of the parking brake shoe.

The problem with pulling the spindle loose so you can remove the hub is you may not have time to do that. If you are at an event and damage a stud you need to get a replacement in place fast. It is much faster to pull the wheel/caliper/rotor and then turn the hub to the correct location hit the stud with a BFH, pull the stud out through your carefully predrilled hole, insert a new one and pull it into place with a lug nut and washers and reassemble. Even with ARP studs I imagine there are ways to damage those.

Bill