Is there a way to add a pin to better secure spinners

 

Not needed for safety and can give false sense of security. Many posts regarding proper installation and a few that outline disasterous consequences if proper installation procedures not followed. Search is your friend.
Gary

 

I just cut a 16p nail to proper length and stick it in there when tight……It’s not going anywhere……..cheap insurance. I have mint condition knockoffs on my 64 but I like the look of the 66/67 better if anyone wants to trade.

 

you can't put a pin in originals, or first generation Western Wheel spinners as there are no slots in spinner nor threaded hubs.. And 67s are a completely different aluminum wheel that bolt on, and have no spinner.. Completely different look too. Disregard the idea of pins for safety in driving.. They will not keep a wheel on if the wheel was improperly installed and or spinner not tightened.. They will help prevent theft since the spinner cannot be removed if they are there.. But, I don't believe theft of these wheels is actually a problem.. If someone wants the wheels, they'll steel the car first, then remove the wheels.

 

I have Western Wheels dated 2008 New in Box with threaded hubs and spinners. Just curious if there is a method to add a pin for extra safety measure.

 

Yes, if there are slots in the threaded hubs and the spinners, But, if not, no.. Once again, if by extra safety measure you mean prevention from coming off while driving, pins would not add any such extra safety if wheels/ spinners are not mounted properly. If they are mounted correctly, the pins add nothing to the equation. Pins will only make it harder for you to remove your spinners/wheels when you need to.

If spinners look like this then pins can be installed, so long as hubs also have slots.

 

Hi, I am one who believes the pins are a great safety element open to KO owners.
Now, if both the adapter & Knockoff have half slots, I use 1/8" aluminum welding rod,
And cut to the length I want. Which is an 1-1/4" to 1-3/8". I insert the first pin its full
depth in the two aligned half holes. Mark how much of a stand off there is, remove
the pin & bend at that mark to something less than a 90. Do 5 of them. Put them
in the wheel. & tap the KO with that 8# lead hammer you bought. Tap in the tightening
direction. Now pull on the pins and make sure all are tight enough to not be pulled
out by hand.
Not to long ago I had a set of KO that were made by KMC or something like that.
They did not have half slots in either piece. So I took those puppies to a guy that
had a machine shop in his spare garage. And I took an aftermarket adapter & KO
that had the half slots. He performed his magic by drilling out the parts to each
have a half hole. Now is when you try to put the cap on & you cant, so take the pins
out an reinsert the correct direction that will let the cap. Or cut off a little of the pins.
It will not take long & will show you how to do the other three.

Now why do I go with KOs w/pins. Two reasons I guess. Rookies (new KO owners)
do not have the ability to wack on that beautiful KO. They do not know how much
& how hard the wack needs to be. They are afraid they will hit a fender.
The use of aluminum as a pin verses steel is to save the whole thing.
Do not use steel for a pin.
More opinions available upon request.

Scott

 

Those silly pins are little more than a "feel good" device, if that. Worse, they encourage incorrect KO installation. How? By letting or causing KO owners to obsess over the pins rather than proper KO install technique. There have been actually been postings here on CF by owners who backed off the tightness of their spinners in order to get one of those silly pins inserted!!!!

If the spinners are correctly tightened, they will NOT work loose!

 

I'm not telling anyone to use or don't use pins. I don't care either way. I use them because they don't hurt anything.
If you truly think they "do nothing", try this little test:
Put a pin in one wheel's spinner and not another wheel's spinner, now take the hammer and try to spin the spinners off. See which one comes off and which doesn't. You don't have to prove to anybody but yourself. If you don't like them, throw them in the trash, or mail them to me.
Either way the wheel has to be installed correctly with the correct holes over the lug nuts and the spinner tightened completely, completely, completely. UNLESS, (and we still don't know) you have bolt on knockoff's and I still use the pins just to make it harder to come off or someone to take them easily.
I don't really see any good argument to leave them out, except to be ornery.

 

It's quite interesting that every "K/O Wheels" thread ends exactly the same way. It always comes down to pins.

 

I did just what you are saying to try to do on a car that the pins were stuck in the wheel. I took the lead hammer and was able to knock the wheel off anyway with the pin in place. It just smashed the pin. And if you use a nail like people suggest the nail gets rusty and you cannot get it out at all. I never use pins.

 

They were meant as a theft deterrent .