tight lug nuts

I wonder if it was a galvanic reaction between lug nuts and studs. I guess that's what makes some screws hard to snap loose. I always figured it was intentional, like using Lock-Tite.

Naval jelly! (not to be confused with navel jelly)

I once had a 3-year-old license plate that was badly pitted with rust. Naval jelly, red lead, white enamel, black enamel for the lettering. Still perfect 10 years later. If I ever get put in the state pen, I want to be on the license plate team!

Vinegar can remove rust.

Me either - but I always check to be sure. Never had one change torque.

I find that my el cheapo air impact works well for that . Similar quality to HF , can't remember where the son got it , but he was unhappy with it and I got it for like half what he spent .

We told them to drop by and have them rechecked at no charge. NEVER had one change torque.

Even with a torque stick you CAN overtorque a nut. Just keep hammering beyond the 5 or 6 hits recommended.(ratatatatat)

I'm not all sure what is different, your shop or mine. I may never know.

Now, that totally makes sense. Thanks for sharing.

. Christopher A. Young Learn about Jesus

Chrysler, Hudson, Oldsmobile, buick, Cadilac, international harvester, jeep,and many other American makes used LH studs at one point or another At one point ALL lorries in britain had left hand studs. Some (actually MANY) medium and heavy trucks still do.

Hi, Wasn't them Dodge and some European vehicles?

Hi, That is old story alright.

I used the air gun to install wheels for decades - but never let them "hit" more than once - then finish them up with the torque wrench. 2 hits with my old CP734 was usually about 65 ft lbs on 120 psi shop air.

Hi, So have you checked the calibration of that wrench?

Likely. I was trying to get the nuts off one trailer hub. I used everything, including oil and propane torch. Mine had a lot of rust. Finally came off.

Greg

And one impact socket broke, picked up another better quality one at tractor supply. My impact wrench is an old all trade from pace warehouse. My brother bought it years ago. It's not great.

Greg

why don't you ask him when you stop by and have him test the torque on your lug nuts?

Two of my sons had called me to bring my tire wrench as the one supplied with their cars, a Saturn and a Mercedes, would not take off the lug nuts. They had used penetrating oil. The Saturn I got bailed out but wrench was to fat to fit Mercedes hub.

A similar story with air pressure in my new Subaru's tires. After running a couple of thousand miles I checked them and found them at 40 psi vs 30 psi spec.

I think in all these cases it was the manufacturers fault.

Harry K wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:

Correct. I'm not sure when they started doing it, but up through the mid-late 1970s, Chrysler Corporation vehicles had left-hand thread lugs on the left side, right-hand thread lugs on the right. Tighten the nut in the same direction the wheel turns when the car is going forward.

I'm not sure exactly when they stopped, either, but my 1985 Dodge truck has RH lugs all around.

No, it didn't. The left-hand-thread lugs were on the left hand side wheels, and the right-hand side wheels had right-hand-thread lugs.

Broke a stud, I can believe. I've seen that before. "Pulled it clear out" through 3/8" plate steel? I doubt it.

"Doug Miller" >> Forget the details but in years past, some lug nuts threaded

I know Chrysler cars had left hand nuts on the drivers side. I changed a bunch of tires working for Sears while going to school. I was cautioned about that when I started working there around 1970.

I don't know for sure,but heard that some military vehicles had alternating left and right on the same wheel.