Removing Lug Nut from Spinning Stud

[Mike1291]

On the driver's side rear wheel, one of the studs is spinning on the drum, and I couldn't get the lug nut off. Dad and I were team tagging on trying different methods of getting it out. Cutting it, chiseling it, drilling it, you get it. Finally it looks like what you see in the picture. It's pretty bad. Is there any tips that you might be able to give to help me with my predicament?

[Pete]

If you sharpen a cold chisel to a steep angle and apply it to the nut with a 3 pound hammer, the nut will split.
Another way is to cut the stud off with a cutting torch or plasma cutter.
It is unlikely you will be able to install a new stud in the bad hole without welding it on the back side but this is NOT recommended.
A new drum is the best way.

[Mike1291]

I am planning on getting new drums for sure. But I think I'm past the point of breaking the nut in half with a chisel. The middle that you see is what remains of the stud and not the lug nut

[Gary WA]

Originally Posted by Mike1291

I am planning on getting new drums for sure. But I think I'm past the point of breaking the nut in half with a chisel. The middle that you see is what remains of the stud and not the lug nut

did you try a lot of heat then hit with cold water or windex.

[stevests]

Get a Dremel with the reinforced cut-off wheels - get down to the wheel/lug on both sides the split the nut off !

[Gene F]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Do you have an air compressor? Is the wheel that yellow part we see in the phot, meaning the wheel is still on the drum?

[Gold Digger]

If the lug nut is still on the stud I would hold the nut with a wrench or visegrips and then drill the center with a 1/4 inch drill first and then go with a larger bit till it's gone.

[daveymc29]

Go to the inside of the drum and drill the stud, start 1/8" hole and work up.

[Randall]

take all the other nuts off and have someone to pry the wheel to put pressure on the problem one and use impact wrench to loosen,sometimes this will work.

[Mike1291]

I should clarify that the wheel is still on the car. As Gene observed the yellow is the rim. And I do have a 10 gal air compressor

I did try putting the car's weight on the wheel but no luck getting it free. I can try heating it up and cooling it, seeing if it expanding and contracting does something.

I've been drilling it but it's taking forever. Probably because I need new drill bits. Used cutting wheels before but the spokes of the rim make it tough to get any more of it

[Synchro909]

Originally Posted by daveymc29

Go to the inside of the drum and drill the stud, start 1/8" hole and work up.

Seeing as how your problem is on a rear wheel. You will need one of these https://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/p...8130&cat=41627 to remove the hub, then you can get at the back of the stud. DO NOT strike the end of the axle directly or you will regret it.
Alternatively, since the stud is sooo buggered up already , prying the wheel off might work but you will be up for another wheel. I doubt any spanner will hold on what is left of that nut.

[1crosscut]

Use an air grinder with a round head carbide burr bit to grind the nut and stud down.
You 10 gallon compressor probably will be pretty undersized for the task though.

[Mike1291]

I've actually tried using a carbide burr but every cutting implement I use becomes dull so quickly, even when I use cutting oil. I think I can try taking the rim off and drilling it using Synchro's method. Can I take the hub cap off like a hub cap on a steel wheel?

[Synchro909]

Originally Posted by Mike1291

I've actually tried using a carbide burr but every cutting implement I use becomes dull so quickly, even when I use cutting oil. I think I can try taking the rim off and drilling it using Synchro's method. Can I take the hub cap off like a hub cap on a steel wheel?

I firmly believe that Henry made the hub caps to clip on, not bend over the tabs like guys do these days. (Poor quality reproduction pieces.) He wouldn't have wasted the time to do it. I would be surprised if the tabs on your hub caps are not bent over which means that to remove the cap would probably destroy it. They are cheap though.

[brokenspoke]

Just remove the complete hub from the axle

[Bruce of MN]

It isn't perfectly clear to me, but it seems like the wheel is on the hub and the other lug nuts are off, but the remnant of the old lug nut is holding the wheel on. If that is correct, more judicious grinding with a carbide burr should allow the wheel to be removed and the hub/drum pulled off. Then the stud can be removed and a new stud put in properly or a new hub and drum used.

The OP may be able to clarify the full status of the various parts involved.

[Mike1291]

Bruce, you are correct. All the lug nuts are off except for this one. I believe that I need to invest in a good carbide burr set and a pneumatic die grinder and go from there. If not i'll take the drum off with the tool Synchro mentioned. I'm going to have to get a new rim anyways so I don't care if it's cosmetically damaged

[jg61hawk]

I thought this stuff only happens to me. 2 minute job, remove rear wheel...5 days later and tools all over the place ...It eventually works out.

[katy]

Use a hole saw to cut the rim off around the cantankerous stud, then you can get at it.

[Gene F]

Mike, since your wheel is now trash, and you have air; Borrow a muffler gun from one of the guys in your local Model-A chapter. Sacrafice the wheel.

In other instances, take the hub cap off, and pull the cotter pin. An assistant puts prybars of some side from underneath (on jack stands of course), and put the axle nut back on so that it is flush. Cut a piece of steel or a drift punch on the axle. With tension on the drum (assistant) strike the axle with a good size hammer a few times. The drum/hub assembly will pop free in a few strikes. From there you can back the hub off, and pull every thing off the axle. Now you can flip everything over and work on it.

I never had pullers until I was older and could afford them. But I had a Grandfather that knew how to work on stuff, and do what ya had to do to get by. The stories that he and his brother told me about Model-As were memeorable.

[katy]

If you're going to remove the hub/wheel from the axle, leave the wheel on the ground and jack up the other rear wheel until the axle/hub separate.

[dmar836]

This is getting out of control with great ideas.
Drilling it out so the wheel can be removed is a simple and inexpensive job. If he doesn't have drill bits, he's not going to have all the other niceties mentioned. Buy some decent bits and don't run them so fast. Learn how to use them properly. There are important details to that. And use cutting oil... any oil.
This type of tool purchase will continue to be useful for the rest of your life on many other jobs so it's not a one job deal.

If it's spinning on you, you will likely have to remove the wheel, drum, and hub as an assembly as mentioned and work from the back. You might be able to remove the hub with an axle nut or two protecting the threads. Flip one over(castellations in) and leave it slightly above the threads. Pop on it with a heavy hammer. Sometimes pulling on the tire, wheel or even lightly prying on the hub will help offset the blows. Be gentle with the prying though.

D

[Brentwood Bob]

Gene, are you referring to an acetylene torch when you mention a muffler gun?
That would be my choice.

[Gene F]

No. Just chisel it off with the muffler gun, and attempt to save the hub beneath.

[katy]

Muffler gun AKA air hammer.

[Mike1291]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Made some progress yesterday. One thought was to drill the side of the nut and try to twist it or break it off. Then I realized that the shoulder at the end of the nut would be impossible to get to with it on the wheel. So I started to drill the center.

I used a nice set of Bosch drill bits and plenty of quality cutting oil every 15 seconds of drilling or so. Both of these made a great difference in cutting progress.

[Mike1291]

Victory at last. I attached some images of the results.

[Mike1291]

I also noticed that when I took the hub off that it had this weird ridge in it. Is the hub bad or is this okay to reuse?

[Harpkatt]

So it looks like you were able to save the wheel. I'd be more worried that the hub was still flat than having a gouge especially after all of the work to get the wheel off. How deep is that mark? If the stud was spinning you won't likely be able to reuse the hub anyway. Unless you drilled it and resized the hole to a larger stud, but then you'd have one different size lug and lug nut. I'd say replace.

[Phil Brown]

If the new stud still has a good fit in the hub hole I would not worry about the scar on the back side of the hub as it does not look very deep

[old31]

Mike, congrats with sticking with it and accomplishing your goal.