Need Help! Almost lost a wheel!
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,625
Likes: 0
From: Cut n Shoot TX
Need Help! Almost lost a wheel!
Coming off the freeway, and slowing down, I noticed a clicking sound coming from my drivers side front wheel. I thought maybe I picked up a stone. I kept driving slow, about 35, and the noise kept getting worse. I finallt pulled over, and to my shock, 2 of my studs had sheered off, and the other 3 lugs were hanging on by threads. I managed to tighten the remaing 3 lugs and limped home. I can only think what would have happened if the wheel came off on the freeway, when I was going an average of 75.
This is a good time to warn everyone, especially with aluminum wheels, to check your lugs today.
Now for the help. What is the procedure to replace the sheared off studs on the front ????????
This is a good time to warn everyone, especially with aluminum wheels, to check your lugs today.
Now for the help. What is the procedure to replace the sheared off studs on the front ????????
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 792
Likes: 1
From: Louisiana, It's Always Party Time!
Been there! Done That!! 
Had a tire come off while driving through campus back in the days on my '71 Cutlass. Sheared off 4 of the five lugs. Don't know if the procedure is the same on a Vette but I used a punch and a bfh and drove the remaining lugs out from the front side of the hub. Put new lugs in from the back and then tightened them down with a lug nut. It pulled the lug into the hub. Never had a problem again. Good Luck!
Jay
Had a tire come off while driving through campus back in the days on my '71 Cutlass. Sheared off 4 of the five lugs. Don't know if the procedure is the same on a Vette but I used a punch and a bfh and drove the remaining lugs out from the front side of the hub. Put new lugs in from the back and then tightened them down with a lug nut. It pulled the lug into the hub. Never had a problem again. Good Luck!
Jay
Safety Car
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 4,180
Likes: 1,176
From: out of nowhere
Remove the wheel.
Remove the brake caliper with two bolts from behind.
Remove bearing dust cap. Tap a narrow flat headed screw driver behind the flanged portion to get it off.
Remove cotter pin and castle nut.
Pull off the rotor.
Press or hammer out old studs.
Reverse the process.
When you tighten the castle nut while putting it back on, just tighten it slightly. You should be able to spin the rotor , but not have play if you pull it from top to bottom or side to side.
Now would be a good time to check out the bearings. Make sure you repack them with grease. I wasn't as lucky as you, my wheel did come off!
Remove the brake caliper with two bolts from behind.
Remove bearing dust cap. Tap a narrow flat headed screw driver behind the flanged portion to get it off.
Remove cotter pin and castle nut.
Pull off the rotor.
Press or hammer out old studs.
Reverse the process.
When you tighten the castle nut while putting it back on, just tighten it slightly. You should be able to spin the rotor , but not have play if you pull it from top to bottom or side to side.
Now would be a good time to check out the bearings. Make sure you repack them with grease. I wasn't as lucky as you, my wheel did come off!
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,360
Likes: 0
From: COVINGTON LA
Originally Posted by litevette
Remove the wheel.
Remove the brake caliper with two bolts from behind.
Remove bearing dust cap. Tap a narrow flat headed screw driver behind the flanged portion to get it off.
Remove cotter pin and castle nut.
Pull off the rotor.
Press or hammer out old studs.
Reverse the process.
When you tighten the castle nut while putting it back on, just tighten it slightly. You should be able to spin the rotor , but not have play if you pull it from top to bottom or side to side.
Now would be a good time to check out the bearings. Make sure you repack them with grease. I wasn't as lucky as you, my wheel did come off!
Remove the brake caliper with two bolts from behind.
Remove bearing dust cap. Tap a narrow flat headed screw driver behind the flanged portion to get it off.
Remove cotter pin and castle nut.
Pull off the rotor.
Press or hammer out old studs.
Reverse the process.
When you tighten the castle nut while putting it back on, just tighten it slightly. You should be able to spin the rotor , but not have play if you pull it from top to bottom or side to side.
Now would be a good time to check out the bearings. Make sure you repack them with grease. I wasn't as lucky as you, my wheel did come off!
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 2,625
Likes: 0
From: Cut n Shoot TX
Originally Posted by litevette
Remove the wheel.
Remove the brake caliper with two bolts from behind.
Remove bearing dust cap. Tap a narrow flat headed screw driver behind the flanged portion to get it off.
Remove cotter pin and castle nut.
Pull off the rotor.
Press or hammer out old studs.
Reverse the process.
When you tighten the castle nut while putting it back on, just tighten it slightly. You should be able to spin the rotor , but not have play if you pull it from top to bottom or side to side.
Now would be a good time to check out the bearings. Make sure you repack them with grease. I wasn't as lucky as you, my wheel did come off!
Remove the brake caliper with two bolts from behind.
Remove bearing dust cap. Tap a narrow flat headed screw driver behind the flanged portion to get it off.
Remove cotter pin and castle nut.
Pull off the rotor.
Press or hammer out old studs.
Reverse the process.
When you tighten the castle nut while putting it back on, just tighten it slightly. You should be able to spin the rotor , but not have play if you pull it from top to bottom or side to side.
Now would be a good time to check out the bearings. Make sure you repack them with grease. I wasn't as lucky as you, my wheel did come off!
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Pro
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 511
Likes: 4
From: Phoenix AZ
Originally Posted by VettePower
....what would have happened if the wheel came off on the freeway,.....
Fender was trash. A guy brought my wheel back, he said it continued down the road quite a ways. 3 of the studs were a little tattered from the wheel coming off, the other two studs (next to each other) were gone. When I finally got back to my apartment there was one lug nut was still on the ground, that's when I figured it out.
I don't live there any more, and still check my wheels fairly often.
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 133
Likes: 0
From: Kaysville Utah
Here's one for ya, we went to the 50th anniversary celebration in nashville back in '03. I had my 81, father in law had his 68 and his 72. The drive was 1500 miles each way. (SLC to Nashville) On the way back, we were just outside Cheyenne Wyoming when my sister in law (in the 72) comes off the offramp hearing a loud clunk. We stopped at the nearest parking lot, which happened to be where we ate dinner. We thought that the front wheel bearing had gone to pot, but when we jacked up the car, we noticed that all the lugnuts had come loose. This was after close to 3000 miles of staying tight. The wheels weren't even aluminum, they were the steel ralley wheels. Go figure.