first Huge Hurdle to my front end re-build

[DogBunny]

You aren't going to believe this, except that you will.
So I start taking the driver side front wheel off using a big 4-way lug nut wrench. The lugs are incredibly tight. I turn and turn, something is wrong, so I try a different lug nut. I turn and turn, and finally it frees up. Because it stripped. All the nuts on that wheel are the same.
So, I drive to the tire guy, and ask him to try his air impact wrench. He can't get any of the driver front lugs loose. I ask him to try the rear wheel. He tries a couple, finally he strips one.
All ten lug nuts on the driver side are fubar.
For some reason, all ten lug nuts on the passenger side are completely normal.
So, it looks like I will be putting a cut-off wheel in my angle grinder, cutting off the ten driver side lug nuts, and hammering out and replacing all the studs.
Thus begins my front-end re-build...

 

[MrMoparCHP]

Welcome to the world of Mopar, I'm suprised it took all 10 off and never realized they were left hand thread.

Righty Loosy, Lefty Tighty


Alan

 

[MrMoparCHP]

If you are lucky there might be enough threads left to remove them, just set the impact gun the other way.

Alan

 

[bajajoaquin]

:sFun_doh2:

Doh!

 

[DogBunny]

Holy cow! I have a sick feeling in my stomach. Will report back after I see how much damage I did...

 

[MrMoparCHP]

Holy cow! I have a sick feeling in my stomach. Will report back after I see how much damage I did...

Best case just the lugnuts as they are a softer material, worse case all new studs and lugnuts. Inspect the studs well.


Alan

 

[70NPORT]

Yep. Driver's side lug nuts spin opposite to passenger side.

 

[commando1]

I feel my chain getting pulled...

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[DogBunny]

Whew!
Unbelievable, but I dodged a bullet. All the lug nuts came off, even the ones that were spinning. All of the stud threads are good. The threads on the two lug nuts that spun are almost completely erased, but those studs are perfectly good. Think I'm going to see how hard it is to find reverse thread lug nuts and call it a day.

 

[70NPORT]

That could have ended very very badly. Glad it didn't for you.

 

[bajajoaquin]

Now you can change the title of your thread to, "I just cleared the first hurdle..."

 

[MrMoparCHP]

This reminds me of when I was tearing down a 69 Polara parts car and I went to remove the passenger side front wheel and it was tight. I had the breaker bar out and I was jumping on the wrench, the wrench was moving and then I took a closer look at the stud and it looked like a left? Sure enough it was, someone had the front drum/hubs swapped.

Alan

 

[bajajoaquin]

My '68 Dart had three wheels with right-hand threads, and one with left-hand. The previous owner needed a replacement drum for one of the wheels, and had a spare right-hand, so he just put it on. I remembered to tell the tire shop when I replaced the tires, and never had a flat, or had to take off wheels after that. I wonder if I told the next owner....

 

[DogBunny]

Napa has the left-hand nuts, but they want you to buy 10, enough for the whole driver side. Advance wants you to buy 25 (?????).
Got two on eBay for $5.12 with shipping. (if you like, you can pay triple that for one nut from some sellers.) Look for Dorman 611-026 or 611-026.1 (or 611-0261) -- the last added number means just one piece.
BTW, I looked in the owner's manual in the glove box, and sure enough, they tell you that the driver's side lug nuts are reverse under "the safe way to change a wheel."

 

[Samplingman]

Why on earth did they ever think left-hand threads were a "good" idea?? I thought Chrysler was the "engineering" company.

 

[Big_John]

Why on earth did they ever think left-hand threads were a "good" idea?? I thought Chrysler was the "engineering" company.

They are self tightening. The left wheel rotates counter clockwise. It's actually a very good idea if you think about it.

 

[70NPORT]

Why on earth did they ever think left-hand threads were a "good" idea?? I thought Chrysler was the "engineering" company.

I was told it was "engineering" idea for a safety precaution. If so why not both sides (reverse thread).

 

[MrMoparCHP]

I was told it was "engineering" idea for a safety precaution. If so why not both sides (reverse thread).

It has to do with the rotation of the wheel, just like the knock-off race car wheels are left hand on the left side of the car.

I think this was a case of Chrysler over engineering something.


Alan

 

[bulldogchesty]

If you take apart a floor fan to clean the blades, you will not be able to unscrew the blades without turning it left hand, because the fan is turning right hand and will keep the nut tight.

 

[bajajoaquin]

But how many of you have had a wheel fall off on the left side of your non-Chrysler? The problem is that they solved a problem that didn't really exist.