Wheel Studs Welded

[modeladan]

I just got a 31 sw and have had it about 4 weeks and while trying to get Lic and on the road. While taking it on a trip to town I could hear a clunk-clunk-clunk , and found that the drivers side rear wheel was lose. When I tryed to tighten it and found the stud spinning so I took off the hub and the studs had been welded in place and the one had broken the weld. So thought no problem I have another one in my stash and could use it for a replacement, when looking at it " It was also welded" and not sure if it is a good idea to use it and am wondering if I dare look at the other 3. The lug nuts look to me to maybe be wrong because the threads on the suds look stressed although they are new chrome nuts
What would you guys suggest ???? I can't afford new hubs and drums

[vance07]

I had Same thing on 32 sedan with jag rear I had jag shop put on used hub saved some cash that way. I have heard that they can change the bolt pattern may be they could just clock your's a little so you could use same brake drum.
good luck

[Tom Wesenberg]

If the welding doesn't go too deep, you may be able to grind it flat to the hub/drum, then cut the swage, which probably isn't there since they were welded in place, then press them out using the correct tools for backing.

Then install new studs the correct way.

[Russ/40]

If it looks pretty buggered up, I would go ahead and reweld them for a functional hub while I looked for a good used replacement. If you can tighten them OK afterwards, you good to go for quite a long time while you search. JMHO

[Purdy Swoft]

If you can find anybody that can swage in new lug bolts it likely will be expensive. If they don't know what they are doing they can ruin the hubs. I've welded lug bolts that had spun in the hub and had no problem. On rear hubs, the weld needs to be pretty flat or it will hit the emergency brake parts. Some shimming on the axles may help if the hub pulls down too far after tightening , but only if absolutely necessary.

[Mike V. Florida]

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It was that way on my car when I got it, lasted 20+ years until I changed the drums.

[H. L. Chauvin]

FWIW: Just two (2) wheel experiences.

In my case, things maybe were somewhat worse.

As a teenager, I had first just scrambled to come up with $25.00 to buy my Model A in 1958. All Model A's I knew back then were totally unrestored & owned only by the poorest of the poor. We only knew of J.C. Whitney, Western Auto, NAPA & Sears for very limited parts.

Minimum wages then were $1.00 an hour, beer in a bar was 0.20 per bottle if you were old enough to hold a bottle, & cigarettes were 0.020 per pack for 20 ready rolls & 0.15 for a pack of tobacco with which one could roll 32 cigarettes -- I rolled my own Virginia Extra tobacco with Tip Top cigarette paper.

Auto insurance & auto inspections were not required so I had 4 hubs, each with only 3 very worn original Model A lug bolts.

After losing a R & L rear wheel while driving, & being lucky not to cause an accident or harm to anyone walking on the side of the road, I had a blacksmith weld in all new 1956 Ford lugs which did not look original but worked great & lasted.

Today between todays lawyers, judges, & deputies waiting to write tickets, plus possible increases in insurance premiums after an accident, I would never go anywhere in a Model A without all five (5) well threaded lug bolts per wheel.

Plus after seeing (2) Model A wheels pass me up at about 60 mph when I was only driving about 45 mph, every now & then I check to insure lugs remain tight.

One wheel hit a ditch, flew about 20 feet in the air & zipped horizontally over a lady hanging clothes on her clothes line -- she was screaming at me; but what I remember mostly was that she did not "smell" too sweet when I retrieved my tire.

Just hope this helps with deciding about Model A lug bolts.

[NCDave]

Originally Posted by H. L. Chauvin

FWIW: Just two (2) wheel experiences.

In my case, things maybe were somewhat worse.

As a teenager, I had first just scrambled to come up with $25.00 to buy my Model A in 1958. All Model A's I knew back then were totally unrestored & owned only by the poorest of the poor. We only knew of J.C. Whitney, Western Auto, NAPA & Sears for very limited parts.

Minimum wages then were $1.00 an hour, beer in a bar was 0.20 per bottle if you were old enough to hold a bottle, & cigarettes were 0.020 per pack for 20 ready rolls & 0.15 for a pack of tobacco with which one could roll 32 cigarettes -- I rolled my own Virginia Extra tobacco with Tip Top cigarette paper.

Auto insurance & auto inspections were not required so I had 4 hubs, each with only 3 very worn original Model A lug bolts.

After losing a R & L rear wheel while driving, & being lucky not to cause an accident or harm to anyone walking on the side of the road, I had a blacksmith weld in all new 1956 Ford lugs which did not look original but worked great & lasted.

Today between todays lawyers, judges, & deputies waiting to write tickets, plus possible increases in insurance premiums after an accident, I would never go anywhere in a Model A without all five (5) well threaded lug bolts per wheel.

Plus after seeing (2) Model A wheels pass me up at about 60 mph when I was only driving about 45 mph, every now & then I check to insure lugs remain tight.

One wheel hit a ditch, flew about 20 feet in the air & zipped horizontally over a lady hanging clothes on her clothes line -- she was screaming at me; but what I remember mostly was that she did not "smell" too sweet when I retrieved my tire.

Just hope this helps with deciding about Model A lug bolts.

H.L., I,too, had a left rear wheel come off and pass me. Fortunately, the road was clear and I retrieved it and the lug nuts and went sheepishly on my way home. I was returning from having it inspected and the tires rotated, and I concluded at the time that the mechanic had failed to tighten the lugs. I have seen no evidence of the problem described by the original poster, but may take a close look---------I learn a lot from you all here, and thanks. David

[Purdy Swoft]

Interesting story Mr. H.L. The only two wheels that I ever had fall off was caused by wallowed out lug nut holes in the wheels . If the threads looked bad, I knocked them out and replaced them with better lug bolts. I agree ,bad threads are very dane-jus !!!!!!!

[H. L. Chauvin]

Mr. Purdy,

Just for the record, both times, it threw the rear wheels forward at a much higher speed & they both veered off at about a 15 - 20 degree angle away from the centerline of the road which could be very dangerous upon impact of an oncoming car.

All it takes is one or two wild teenage experiences to think back how many chances we took.

[Purdy Swoft]

Mr H.L. I agree completely !!! Also when a rear wheel falls of it generaly ruins the back fender when it hits the ground and drags, not to mention the brake backing plate. Ugh I can just see the sparks flying, its happened !!!

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by Purdy Swoft

Mr H.L. I agree completely !!! Also when a rear wheel falls of it generaly ruins the back fender when it hits the ground and drags, not to mention the brake backing plate. Ugh I can just see the sparks flying, its happened !!!

Yep, that's what happened to a guy in our club some years ago. Loose lug nuts finally fell off and the wheel wrecked the rear fender.

[H. L. Chauvin]

In my situation I was lucky both times in that the forward thrown rear wheels did not damage the rear fenders -- still have both rear fenders.

The former farmer/mechanic owner cut off the rusted out rear parts of the rear fenders & added unpainted 26 gauge galvanized mud guards on the rear bottom of each rear fender which should be worth at least 25 points if a Model A Judge saw them today ..... you know ........ just for the original makeshift patch panel thought.

Poor humble former Model A owner lived about 200 yards right down the road in his 1909 built house ..... he just died a couple of weeks ago at age 90.

Still have the damaged rear backing plates at my office -- if I remember correctly, when the backing plates hit the asphalt highway at about 45 mph, it wore a flat spot on the bottom of each rear backing plate about 2" to 3" long -- no doubt sparks flew because the raw steel was blue black. Had no source for replacement parts in 1960 so I left the damaged backing plates on the car ... they looked good with the galvanized mud guards as a backdrop.

Almost forgot about my (2) operable side windows on this 1930 Coupe -- worth at least another 20 Model A judging points ..... the glass was replaced with sheet metal that were formerly parts of signs with embossed letters of: "R.C. Cola." Maybe 35 judging points because the sign letters were crisp & not at all damaged.