Fawk, lugnut seized on loose wheel spacer stud

csudman

csudman

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2005
Location
Statesville
So the problem is pretty obvoius, the wheel spacer stud has come loose with the lugnut seized onto the stud. To top it off, the wheels are aluminum with recesses holes.

Suggestions?

I can always break out the torch, but I really don't wanna screw up my rims.

CJ
 
I have removed lug nuts galled fast on some exspensive wheels by drilling out the stud. I started with a small pilot hole and worked my way up to the stud diameter. The hole doesn't need to pass through comepletely. When you get it bored out to the stud diameter the remaining lug falls right of. Since your is spinning you may need to get creative on holding the lug. Take sacrificial socket and weld a handle or tee bar to it to hold while drilling, or use vicegrips. Studs drill alot easier than you would think. They are only surface hardened. The trick is to drill a true/centered pilot hole.
 
WARRIORWELDING said:
I have removed lug nuts galled fast on some exspensive wheels by drilling out the stud. I started with a small pilot hole and worked my way up to the stud diameter. The hole doesn't need to pass through comepletely. When you get it bored out to the stud diameter the remaining lug falls right of. Since your is spinning you may need to get creative on holding the lug. Take sacrificial socket and weld a handle or tee bar to it to hold while drilling, or use vicegrips. Studs drill alot easier than you would think. They are only surface hardened. The trick is to drill a true/centered pilot hole.
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This seems like the first course of action.
 
csudman said:
I've read that aluminum melts at 900 and steel at 2600. That makes me nervous.
Click to expand...

I've torched them off steel wheels before and not marred up the wheels, but I think I'd be wary of using it on Al.

Not that you'd be cutting through it, but I'd guess that the aluminum in the wheel spacers is heat-treated and heating one portion of it to glowing or near it would definitely ruin that.

x1 more on either drilling or grinding if you can get to it.
 
My friend had this happen on his Jeep. Was a huge PITA! After hours of drilling on the stud, we finally used a 1/4 bit to drill the rim out around the lug.

If we would have had a good impact wrench we would have just tightened it till the stud sheared. Do this many times in the past.
 
Can you get the lug nut to tighten ? If so put some lube on the taper and impact it on until something strips out of the stud breaks.
 
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