Page 1 of 2
what madness is this?!
Posted: Tue Oct 31, 06 10:56 pm
by paolo_mangusta
Finally tracked down some hubs for the Dart, started swapping the discs over and found that one of them had left hand threads on it. Seems that before '70 they did this.
WHAT THE HELL WERE THEY THINKING?!!!!

I've never come across anything as mad as this on a car before, even a French one. Since there's no way that the wheel can rotate around the stud (unless the other four studs and the centre of the hub have disappeared, in which case you've go serious problems) then there can be no reason for them to make the threads left-handed.
Anyway now I've got that off my chest, what should I do? Anyone got any left hand nuts? Or am I better getting new studs from somewhere? And any ideas where?
Cheers for any help

Posted: Tue Oct 31, 06 11:03 pm
by MrNorm
Yep, they should have an 'L' on the end of the stud......didn't stop many garages snapping studs with their air wrenches by running them in the wrong (right) direction!
Yes they can easily be replaced (I'd have to look up the Us place, might be someone here) or you can get LH nuts but dunno if you can get them in the UK.
Posted: Wed Nov 01, 06 9:18 am
by Dave-R
I thought it was 1970 model year only. I am suprised they did this as far back as 1967.
I changed my studs to RHT as soon as I got my 70 Challenger. I am too easily confused to cope with having to turn things the wrong way.
If you ever re-build a ring and pinion by the way you will find the bolts holding the ring on are LHT for the same reason. Less chance of them coming loose when rotating in that direction.
Posted: Wed Nov 01, 06 10:20 am
by paolo_mangusta
Thanks guys - seems like changing the studs would the best long-term solution, but I might try a post in the wanted section to see if anyone has any old LH nuts lying round. I'm running on the boggo steels at the moment but have got some rally-type wheels lined up so I'm better getting nuts if I can for now and then ordering nice shiny RH nuts and studs for when I put the other wheels on.
'course I'll never find studs for it, everything else for the K-H brakes set up is impossible to get so I guess the studs will be too...
Still it's cheered me up cause it's reminded of the day my mate was trying to get a hub nut off a Sierra and told me in some detail why I was an idiot when I said it had a LH thread. Two hours and one snapped breaker bar later and he finally agreed with me
Cheers
Paul
Posted: Wed Nov 01, 06 10:30 am
by Anonymous
L/H studs are available, but better to change them
Posted: Wed Nov 01, 06 11:12 am
by RobTwin
Dave wrote:...I thought it was 1970 model year only. I am suprised they did this as far back as 1967....
Our 63 had l/h thread studs too

Posted: Wed Nov 01, 06 11:24 am
by Dave-R
Crikey! I had no idea they did it all those years.
Posted: Wed Nov 01, 06 11:25 am
by Stu
63? Blimey!

Our 68 has this too.
Posted: Wed Nov 01, 06 12:23 pm
by Blue
L/H wheel studs are quite common on commercial vehicles, certain models of Ford Transit have 'em for a start.
Posted: Wed Nov 01, 06 12:28 pm
by Pete
I thought it was all cars up to and including 1970. Remember that many have had new Drums/hubs/discs by the time we get to own them....
Posted: Wed Nov 01, 06 12:39 pm
by paolo_mangusta
Well if everybody's got them has anyone got five spare wheel nuts?
