Loose Lug Nut

[Brobrian]

Dang, I made a dumb mistake last week. Cost me one of my wheels. I was on my way to Home Depot to pick up lumber in my '31. I heard a noise in the front wheel and figured it was probably a wheel bearing going bad. When I go to the store I shook the front end and felt the extra play. "Yup, wheel bearing." I thought to myself. Loaded up the lumber and gingerly drove home. Jumped onto the computer that evening without further investigation and ordered wheel bearings from Snyders.
This week when the parts arrived, I rolled the A out and started to loosen the lug nuts so I could start replacing the bearings. Only the lugs on the passenger side were already loose. When I'd done the tie rod ends last month I didn't tighten down the lugs on that side. They were loose and so ruined all the nuts on that wheel and enlarged the lug holes ruining the wheel. Man, what a dumb mistake. I must have a loose lug nut too.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Count your blessings, Bro, at least the wheel didn't fall off.
Bill W.

[Neil Mylar LakewoodCA]

I remember towing a restored 30 pickup home 90 miles with a tow bar. It had been restored about 10 years earlier, but not driven or run since then. Being restored, I didn't even think to make sure the lug nuts were tight. I was half way home when a 19 inch wheel passed by my driver's side window. Whenever I get a new Model A, I always check the lug nuts.

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by Brobrian

Dang, I made a dumb mistake last week. Cost me one of my wheels. I was on my way to Home Depot to pick up lumber in my '31. I heard a noise in the front wheel and figured it was probably a wheel bearing going bad. When I go to the store I shook the front end and felt the extra play. "Yup, wheel bearing." I thought to myself. Loaded up the lumber and gingerly drove home. Jumped onto the computer that evening without further investigation and ordered wheel bearings from Snyders.
This week when the parts arrived, I rolled the A out and started to loosen the lug nuts so I could start replacing the bearings. Only the lugs on the passenger side were already loose. When I'd done the tie rod ends last month I didn't tighten down the lugs on that side. They were loose and so ruined all the nuts on that wheel and enlarged the lug holes ruining the wheel. Man, what a dumb mistake. I must have a loose lug nut too.

Can it be salvaged by using the lug nut washers? I read somewhere that the washers could be welded in place as well to restore a wheel with enlarged lug holes.

[roccaas]

Did the steering feel any different?

[BarracudaBoy]

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I did some thing similar. I thought my lug nuts might be loose when I heard a noise on the back. Checked the nuts and they were tight. I thought the hub was loose. After a bit of driving I wallered out the wheel holes and figured out that the prior owner had installed the wrong lug nuts. They would bottom out on the drums, not on the wheels. Bought 20 lug nuts and a set of wheel washers. I moved the wheel to the spare position and put the wheel washers with my tire changing tools.

[Brobrian]

The lug holes in the wheel are wallered out a bit. I wouldn't drive on it too far in that condition, but it will make a useable spare. I bought a new wheel, though, which I'm going to paint and put back on the truck. I just hate ruining parts I know are original to the vehicle. Just stupid on my part.
I've been looking up threads on sandblasting and painting wheels. Trying to decide "if" and "how". Don't really want 5 shiny newly painted wheels making the rest of my truck look shabby. It ain't going to get a paint job in my lifetime. On the other hand, it would be odd to have just one freshly painted wheel.
As you all have said, could be worse.

[Greg Jones]

Well you know everything is restorable depending on how much work you want to put into it, even wallowed out holes on wheels. I have tig'd up wallowed out holes on various wire wheels and they turned out great. Takes a lot of fiddling around so if you have to hire it out, it is far more economical to just get another wheel. Especially common Model A wheels.

[29er]

Originally Posted by BarracudaBoy

I did some thing similar. I thought my lug nuts might be loose when I heard a noise on the back. Checked the nuts and they were tight. I thought the hub was loose. After a bit of driving I wallered out the wheel holes and figured out that the prior owner had installed the wrong lug nuts. They would bottom out on the drums, not on the wheels. Bought 20 lug nuts and a set of wheel washers. I moved the wheel to the spare position and put the wheel washers with my tire changing tools.

Maybe this is grist for a different thread, but I wonder about the use of wheel washers. I had them on my '29er to protect the paint. Seemed like a good idea. But after counting the number of times the lug nuts twisted on the bolts with and without washers, and determined the lug nuts grabbed more of the bolt thread without washers, I took them off. I now am of the opinion the wheels are more secure without washers than with.

[Pete]

I see you are in Riverside.
Take a ride over to RotoFaze in Torrance and ask Joe to let you see some SCTA racing 1 inch lug nuts. They will cure your problem without using washers.
Personally I wouldn't drive a stock model A around without them.

[BarracudaBoy]

Originally Posted by 29er

Maybe this is grist for a different thread, but I wonder about the use of wheel washers. I had them on my '29er to protect the paint. Seemed like a good idea. But after counting the number of times the lug nuts twisted on the bolts with and without washers, and determined the lug nuts grabbed more of the bolt thread without washers, I took them off. I now am of the opinion the wheels are more secure without washers than with.

I only use the washers on the damaged rim. I had to change the lugnuts because the prior owner put the improper ones on the car. Check the pics. I placed the lugnuts side by side. One on the right has too small a base on it.

[29er]

Originally Posted by BarracudaBoy

I only use the washers on the damaged rim. I had to change the lugnuts because the prior owner put the improper ones on the car. Check the pics. I placed the lugnuts side by side. One on the right has too small a base on it.

I see. Thanks for the photos. I'd do the same thing, and I think this is the specific application for wheel washers. By the way, I got up near your neck of the woods last year when I bicycled the Natchez Trace and spent some time in Nashville. Fulfilled a lifetime dream of seeing the Grand 'Ol Opry. Charlie Daniels played. You must have gone on the MAFCA tour of the Trace? I would have loved that.

[BarracudaBoy]

Originally Posted by 29er

I see. Thanks for the photos. I'd do the same thing, and I think this is the specific application for wheel washers. By the way, I got up near your neck of the woods last year when I bicycled the Natchez Trace and spent some time in Nashville. Fulfilled a lifetime dream of seeing the Grand 'Ol Opry. Charlie Daniels played. You must have gone on the MAFCA tour of the Trace? I would have loved that.

Really wanted to do the Trace but my car always seems broke. I spend more time working on the dang thing than driving it. Getting frustrated with it. Good news is, there isn't much left to break on it.

[Ed in Maine]

Leaving lug nuts loose is just another one of those goofy things we do with our Model As, just like leaving the oil drain plug out after an oil change and dump the new oil all over the garage floor! Ed

[Tiny]

Check the studs closely. A wheel flopping around most likely ruined them also. And as someone else pointed out "good thing you didn't lose a wheel".

[QGolden]

Thing like this happen too frequently, and have happened many times to me. In an effort to thwart "owner induced errors" when I do a job, I do two things, I get a package of zip lock bags and break down the job into sub-assemblies. I start a check sheet and as I take stuff apart, I put the parts into a bag. If I am real unfamiliar with the assembly, I number the bag with the step number on the check sheet. The zip lock bag even allows you to put a photo in the bag with the parts, or write the photo number on the bag if you leave the photos in your smart phone. I even put things like broken clevis pins or stripped hardware in the bags, it helps me to remember how many pins should be put back in the assembly. Especially in a project that takes a year or better to complete.

[Brobrian]

Originally Posted by Ed in Maine

Leaving lug nuts loose is just another one of those goofy things we do with our Model As, just like leaving the oil drain plug out after an oil change and dump the new oil all over the garage floor! Ed

Yeah, funny how these thing cycle around after an number of years. I seem to remember doing this on another vehicle back in the 70's. I probably will check the lug nuts carefully for another 15 years, then forget again. Same with leaving the crank handle in the radiator, leaving the gas cap on the running board... I seem to forget to turn the gas on about once a week.