I need help tonight: stripped open end lug nut
 

Hey guys, got any ideas on how to get it off? Once it became cross-threaded, I'd slowly tried to remove it. It finally stripped and now just spins, only a few threads from end of the stud. I really need to get it removed tonight. I appreciate your suggestions.

Thanks!

find a socket that is close in size that almost fits over it. Heat it up and hammer the socket on the nut. lay the socket on the ground and hit it with a hammer and the nut will come out.

From the description I think you are saying the nut is spinning on the stud right before it comes off.

Problem is a wheel is on there and you don't want to screw up the wheel right?

Are you under the impression you can save the stud?

If not why not center punch the stud drill a pilot hole to the depth of the bottom of the nut and then get a half inch bit and drill away the end of the stud to the depth of the nut? Like a poor mans end mill.

sounds like its pretty bad. Lug hex ok and the threads are FUBAR right?

get the axle up on the stand, pull all the other lugs so the wheel is loose. Grease the inside contact cone area up real good. Grab hold of the tire and using it for leverage pull towards you putting pressure on the lug. Do this while spinning the lug in the off directing. Helps to have a helper. You should get lucky.

Impact and pressure on the wheel....

Thanks guys for all the suggestions, I really appreciate all the great advice!

By some miracle I was able to get it off by removing the other 4 lugs and using the wheel to apply pressure against the back side of the nut while manually wrenching on the nut to catch some new threads.

It has been a long day, this was the last of three lug nuts that got cross threaded. Thankfully all the bad studs are in wheel adapters and won't be re-used.

New wheels are on and I'm ready for Goodguys Pleasanton tomorrow!

no problem, all we require are new pictures of your car. and wheels!

I wish I could make the show but I have a few projects that need attention....hey that orange 66 convertible Chevelle we built should be there. Lic reads ICJELAC

If I had a buck for every time the last screw, bolt, nut, whatever, jacked me up when I was almost done.... hot rodding is God's way of teaching us patience. :poke:


Jeff-

yep, its always the last one isnt it...now i try to use reverse psychology on it and start with the last bolt. :thumbsup:

Reminds me of the time I was going to toss on the snow tires and wheels on Gwen's Mercedes.... A buddy had given me the set of tires already mounted on wheels. MBZ use BOLTs rather than studs and nuts...

SO I jack it up - grab the 1/2" air torque wrench... zip zap -- wheels off -- new wheels on.... time to back it out of the garage. IT WON'T BUDGE.... WTF?!?!? Call 1-800-nobody cares (Mercedes hot line) to see if I've tripped some anti theft device... NOPE....

Only thing that's changed is the wheels and tires -- back up in the air -- going to check the fronts for rotation --- nope - won't budge - not good.... Go get the air wrench -- bolts won't even back out --- max torque.... barely turning out... OH OH.... NOT GOOD.... ALL STOP. Call MBZ on Monday AM -- and a rollback - it goes to MBZ where they must now order all new "hubs" from GERMANY....

Seems that I just used the same wheel bolts from the factory wheels -- the "free" wheels used shorter pads and had shorter bolts -- which my buddy failed to give me not knowing any better (either did I!) -- thus allowing the bolts to go all the way into a back pad -- which mushroomed the bolt - and now to get 'em off you tear all the threads out of the hubs....

Can't remember if it was 5 or 10 grand... but Gwen reminds me all the time about it.

arrrg, don't even remind me of drilling out Benso's broken lug bolts. I still have nightmares.

Wow, after reading your painful stories, I got off pretty easy! Thankfully I purchased new lug nuts and ARP threaded studs with my new adapters. Hoping this won't happen again.

Here is a teaser of my new wheels.

ahhhh nice, thats a good look.

Lets see the rears! : P

Wow Greg it's amazing how something so small of a task can turn into such a big cost. So did you still put the snow tires on or just leave it alone after that? This would have been my wife's reaction :smiley_smack: :warning: :bur2: