So here's my dilema. I took my '82 to Sears to have them replace the two rear tires, and when the tech went to take off my passenger rear wheel, the cap to the stud came off. I read the thread about heating it and cooling it, PB Blaster, etc. etc., but I was wondering what the best way to remove the stud was. I have Enkei 15x7 Mesh wheels, and the wheel is still on. The chamfer that centers the stud hole on the wheel and prevents it from backing out is still on there, and all I have are splines. I really dont' want to attack it with heat until it's my only option left. I was planning on hitting it for 2-3 days, ever 1-2 hours, with PB Blaster, and then hammering on a 13mm impact socket and using a breaker bar on it, but the tech said that he already broke 2 impact sockets (thick wall, not thin wall) trying to do that. One he split down the center, and the other mushroomed to the point that it wouldn't grip the stud anymore. I know that i'm in a big pickle right now, because the tire that's on there right now is dry-rotted to the point that it's dangerous to drive on, and i'm fearing that the rest of the studs will suffer the same fate as the first one.


So basically, what' i'm asking, is What are my options as far as not using heat, and if I end up breaking the actual stud off and I can't get it out in the end, what am I going to have to replace?

 

Is this drum or rotor rear end?

 

yes, mods are in the sig.

 

well your sig says nothing about whether youve swapped a disc brake rearend , so im assuming its drum (not that it really matters for what were talking about)

i work at a tire store, and i would not recommend using a torch to heat it up,it will do virtually nothing to help, and itll burn the wheel as well. the only time we ever do that is as a last resort, and only to actually melt it out, i which we still have to remove the remaining half of the stud once the wheels is off. you're best bet is to use a wheel lock remover, or an impact socket that you are willing to sacrafice and hammer it on the affected stud/wheel bolt and use an impact gun to take it off, not a breaker bar(they usually make these situations worse).

p.s. it would be cool if you could take a picture of what your dealing w/ so i can better help you(ive seen many different ways of detroying studs, lugs and bolts), just so i can make sure im imagining the situation right and recommend the best remedy

 

sorry 'bout that. I do have a drum rear end. I bought a 13mm impact socket that i'm planning on sacrificing to take out the stud. I'll shoot some pictures tomorrow of the stud to give you an idea of what i'm looking at.

 

happened to me before. my bolt had splines so i just hammered it back on there and got a new one.

 

The same thing has happened to me . . . one of the caps came off and just have the splines. When I get the car back from being painted, I'm going to try to get the cap off one of the other bolts to use on the one that's missing. I don't know if that will be successful, but I'll give it a shot!

 

Best thing is to hammer on a 12 point socket and then get a high torque impact gun to try and blast it off. The breakerbar will not work as well because it is hard to maintain the right force and the socket won't stay on very well. Optuion 2, get a skilled welder to arc weld a long bolt onto the remaining bolt, then hit it up with an impact again. A good welder could do this with little or no impact on the wheel if he can get at enough of the bolt.

 

It's best to pop the cap off of another bolt to get the pesky one out. Easy. Then get two new ones.

 

Welding a bolt to the end doesn't always work well. First, you have to make sure you use a hardened bolt, or it will just twist off between the head and weld.
You also have to make sure you get enough weld penetration, without overheating the bolt, and weakening it.
A freind of mine had this happen on his SA, and had hell getting it out. He *finally* replaced all the stock lug bolts after that, even though I had been warning him more than a year.........

 

Well, I tried what I said earlier in this thread. I had some spare lug bolts, so I wanted to get the cap off one of them, to put on the bolt on the car that is missing the cap. After much trial and error I got the cap off. I drilled a hole in the center of the cap, and used a blunted nail as a punch. With a little effort the cap came off. I'm breathing easier now, because when I get the car back from being painted, I will be able to get the wheel off

 

I've been able to pop a cap off using nothing but a slotted screwdriver and a hammer to tap it at the gap. Seemed to work well.