Rear axle nuts
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2005
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From: Austin Texas
Rear axle nuts
I've been following the Z06 thread on loose axle nuts and decided to check my C6. Dial caliper showed the nut to be just under 33mm so I bought a 33mm GM axle nut from Pep Boys. Passenger side was very loose, 80lb.ft. or so, drivers side was tighter but still not correct. Tightned both to 118 lb. ft. and will continue to check them now that I've proved to myself that it's a problem. May be Locktite time?
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2005
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From: Austin Texas
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2002
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From: Montreal Qc
I do not....but if you seen one nut....you've seen them all! 
It is a standard 6 point nut, no crown for a cotter pin, no plastic locking ring incorporated into it, and it is in the center of the rear rotors.
Excuse me now, gotta go check my nuts!
It is a standard 6 point nut, no crown for a cotter pin, no plastic locking ring incorporated into it, and it is in the center of the rear rotors.
Excuse me now, gotta go check my nuts!
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Race Director
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From: Austin Texas
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Instructor
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I just bought the socket to fit my rear axle nuts. 33 mm deep socket. 1/2 inch drive. Checked my rear axle nuts and both were quite loose. 6,000 miles on car. This socket now sits in the little cubby in the back of the Vette.
Thanks for the advice.
Thanks for the advice.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2006
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From: Cheektowaga NY
St. Jude Donor '08
Great Post!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2004
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From: West coast CA
For those about to go socket shopping...
I couldn't get a 33mm socket to fit at all, and a 34mm socket was excessively loose.
So I measured the distance across the three pairs of flats on each axle nut. The shortest distance was 32.95mm and the longest was 33.32mm. That's not 33mm (fastener standards like ANSI B18.16.3-1998 always specify a maximum width of the nominal size, i.e. 33.0mm), nor is it 34mm (too undersized).
It's a 1" 5/16" (33.3375mm) socket-size nut -- even though the C6 is ostensibly a metric car. Those of you getting 33mm sockets to fit must have axle nuts on the low side of the range of tolerances.
That's not to say that a 34mm socket (the usual choice) wouldn't work, particularly at these relatively low torques.
So I measured the distance across the three pairs of flats on each axle nut. The shortest distance was 32.95mm and the longest was 33.32mm. That's not 33mm (fastener standards like ANSI B18.16.3-1998 always specify a maximum width of the nominal size, i.e. 33.0mm), nor is it 34mm (too undersized).
It's a 1" 5/16" (33.3375mm) socket-size nut -- even though the C6 is ostensibly a metric car. Those of you getting 33mm sockets to fit must have axle nuts on the low side of the range of tolerances.
That's not to say that a 34mm socket (the usual choice) wouldn't work, particularly at these relatively low torques.
Last edited by torquetube; May 20, 2007 at 02:09 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2005
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From: Fallston Maryland
I splurged and bought a Snap on 34mm socket. It works fine. Snap on's tolerances are very tight. That's probably why it works. Disappointing that the wrong size was posted. But mine works. So why bit##.
Thread Starter
Race Director
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From: Austin Texas
The "Performance Tool" 33mm that I bought at Pep Boys doesn't have close tolerances; measuring across the flats I get 33.71mm, 33.68mm, 33.75mm. But $12.99 @ Pep Boys has to beat Snap On prices.
Melting Slicks
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