Technical 60 El Camino Spinning Wheel Stud

So in a moment of insanity I traded an off topic car for another ‘60 El Camino (in Canada this time).
I’m trying to change the wheels and have hit a road block. One of the front wheel studs is spinning in the hub, so I can’t get the wheel off.
Any suggestions?

 

Oh boy ,,,,Cragar S/S,,,,uni lug !
Have you tried tightening it and just ring the stud off ?
Other than that,,,,,take a cold chisel and split the lug nut,,,,right through the middle .

Also,,,,that’s a mighty big weight on the wheel,,,,what,,,,about a 5 oz .,,,?

Tommy

 

Dremel tool and cutoff wheels...very carefully...

Or...

Drill through the center of the lug nut right down to just below the flange level...start with small drill work up...use oil for drill lube...you can anchor the nut with voice grips...put some box board and tape to protect the mag...

 

Die grinder with a cut wheel. Cut the lug as deep as you can and try and split it off

 

Yeah if theres ever a time you'd want a stud to shear now is it...

 

Drill bit. Center punch the lugnut. Start small, keep stepping up. Effectively drilling out the stud

 

Or sacrifice the wheel and just use a torch

 

@Al T is there any gap between the mag and the lug washer...

Why? Because if you can dremel cut the nut off at the washer by rotating and cutting till the nut comes off at washer level use then just cut the washer in 1/2 and once split it should slide off...that is if it's a washer but I'm thinking it's part of the nut and will still be attached to the lower nut...that's a real shitty deal...

 

Good comments!
I tried retorquing the wheel nuts first. It just spins.
The Dremel and a small cut off disc probably makes the most sense. The nut is loose enough that I’ve probably got a 1/8” behind the washer. It’ll be dark shortly, so will have to try it in the morning.

 

If you are careful and take your time you can cut the lug off the stud. Been there done that many times over the years. Its a bit tedious . And yea, make sure you have good light on the work area.

 

Another option is to remove the drum and wheel together. Then you can access the back side of the stud. It may require you break the center cap though.

 

I’ll try this first. It’s the only Dremel Zip disk I have, and it’s got a notch in it. I may need to order some more. We’ll see in the morning. lol

 

Depending on the RPM your grinder spins I’d be leery of a nicked wheel. If anything hold it away from your face and body when you first rev it up, it might grenade instantly.

 

Al it looks like that washer spins so you may only need cut the nut on the outside and the washer will take the damage...perfect

 

Totally agree. Have some new disks arriving tomorrow.

 

I was thinking the same thing.

 

Good luck on the lug nut cutoff. You've got two '60 El Camino's now??
I thought these were supposed to be "rare"! We'll take pictures when you have time.

 

Those little cutoff tools are golden...I have made the near impossible happen with those...wear a dust mask and protect your eyes the dusts are fine and get everywhere...

 

I don’t know how the center cap comes off on an old Cragar, but I’m with Dale. Remove the center cap, dust cap on the hub, cotter pin, nut, and pull the wheel with the hub.

 

Also once you get it off, turn the washer around when you put the wheel back on.

 

That sounds easier said than done...I guess it depends where everything sits once the Cragar cap is off...

 

Can you get a prybar in here and preload the stud enough to spin the lugnut off with an impact?

 

They do work and like everything they are serious tools so safety is of utmost importance...they are certainly one of the more dangerous for that kind of thing that's for sure....

 

Apparently whoever put the mags on couldn’t read! lol


Edit: Fargo, saw your post after I posted this. You win!

 

Tried that. No luck.

 

Prybar directly across from it and break the stud? Lol

 

Drive a chisel between the lug nut and washer then hit the lug nut with the impact. Every time it loosens a bit redrive the chisel in and hit it again, sometimes the lug will come of the first time sometimes it will fight you all the way.

 

Most important question, are ya gonna have any leftover trim to sell me cheap?

 

The one down south is much nicer.

 

Unfortunately this one came with even less trim than yours.