Critique my safety wire please...

Thanks for all the replies fellas, specifically KJSR, Muttley and officerfalfa. Armed with this info I'll get it done right and will post results for your approval... just need a few days. Was moving stuff around the house Sunday and twisted wrong. Found myself in a kneeling position with searing back pain. Gonna be a few more days before I'm back in the garage, trying to take it easy without hitting thr Chiro for gentle decompression.

That's great advice for guys like me who know nothing, and maybe a few of the old timers too!

Thanks as always Bruce, I'll look it up and grab a copy!

 

And thanks mods for moving this! B)

 

After you'e read the book you'll be safety wiring those vertebrae to keep them from moving past their comfort zones!

 

So how do you specify bolts predrilled, or do you have to manufacture your own? And where do you think they are "necessary" on a hot rod build?

 

In my case I couldn't find the right length that were drilled so I drilled my own. I took two nuts, spun them together and "clocked" them with wrenches. I then put them in my small drill press vice and drilled away.

I'm a little embarrased to admit it took me 4 bits to drill 6 bolts. I used cutting oil and went slow, but I'm still an impatient ******.

Interesting how "cheap" drill bits did a better job than the pricey hardware store bits.

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simple answer is wire goes from top left of left bolt to bottom left of right bolt...or 11:00 o'clock left bolt to 7:00 o'clock right bolt...repeat...wire must be twisted inbetween bolts for strength.

 

Just like the others have said,safetying bolts can be a pain. Determining the best way to run the wire is half of the battle. My first time was in A&P school and it was by hand. My work partner had a pair of safety pliers and we wired the bolts with pliers. We got caught and had to do it all over again. It was a long span between bolts on a turbine case. Good luck and keep us posted
Mark

 

Another way to thinkitover...wire comes off of each fastener sort of tangent to the head, and you want it oriented so that if the fastener moves in the direction that wopuld loosen it, it pulls and tightens the wire. If wire is on there wrong way, fastener turning to loose pushes slack into the wire, and so is not resisted in its progress toward perdition.

 

I always considered the safety wire tool a crutch for wusses. I doubt if one out of ten mechanics used them after they mastered the technique of doing a neat job using plain old dikes.

 

The great thing about the Milbar is that it absolutely confounds anyone you hand it to, and the astounds them when you attach it and pull! Doing it by hand with a tool that normal human beings can recognize lacks color in comparison...

 

Get your mitts on a copy of National Aerospace Standards NASM33540. This is the bible of safety wiring.

You should be able to find it in a PDF format online for free.

Bob

 

Not using safety wire pliers is like not using a ratchet.

 

The EAA has the best instructionals out there

Safety wire multiple boltshttp://www.eaavideo.org/video.aspx?v=1766268791001

Look at the other vids, cotter keys etc. VERY good info.

 

Now that's funny right there....

I learned to safety wire by the "clockwise, clockwise" method. I always wire multiple fasteners together in a clockwise direction, and make sure the twist LEAVES the bolt wrapped in a clockwise direction. Now, if you don't know how to read a clock....

 

The other bit of advice is after you cut the wire you roll the tang end over the jaws to make that 'ugly' looking little loop and tip it down/away. If you don't you'll reach in there one day and have your fingers ripped apart from the cut.

 

I gave this a 5 star rating for a few reasons.


First, Eric, you're an honest guy that's looking to improve and makes no excuses. That's not a common trait, for sure, and I admire that.


Another reason is the commentors. They followed your lead, Eric, and gave us great advice, links, etc. (You ever notice when an OP posts and they have an at***ude that the comments reflect it? I do.)


And, last, I know there's a lot of good that will come from this thread and I have a feeling Eric is going to post up his own improved (and perfected) pics of safety wire. It's something I've always wanted to become good at... there was a thread, years back, maybe by LoudPedal about it. I'll take a look for it.

 

I'm pretty sure the Experimental Aircraft ***ociation (EAA) has a video showing how to do this and Muttley's video is plenty good. I built a Kitfox experimental aircraft a few years ago - there's plenty of good info out there on EAA's site that relates to building hot rods.

 

What applications is this used for? as some of the other guys have asked and stated, I've never seen clutch bolts wired, a little loc***e maybe but thats it.

Is it for a racing application?

 

Ford didn't lock those. They did wire the flywheel to crank bolts, not aircraft style but with a simple loop of heavy mechanic's wire.

 

It's primarily used in aircraft work where I'd venture to say that most of us who have done it or do it learned. I learned how to in 1966 When I worked at Boeing. I'm not sure I ever did it on an actual airplane piece after I got out of the two week training cl*** but I did learn to do it there as well as learning to correctly install rivets. I ended up bucking rivets in the window panel section during the time I was working there.

Some guys use it on cars as an aircraft related decoration while many use it to secure bolts that they don't want to come loose on their cars and yes race applications probably prevail in that department.

 

Follow the above link.

 

Also some car makers had those rings with the tabs on them that acted to keep the bolts from turning.

I deal with a lot of airborne equipment where I work and just about anything critical gets safety wired. These guys here make it look like artwork when they're done.

Bob

 

This is an Aluminum Fidanza flywheel on my 8BA Flathead. It will be street driven, cruised, and raced from stoplight to stoplight. If I'm lucky it'll make 140 horsepower.

I'm safety wiring it because the instruction sheet included with the flywheel says its required... Although its totally generic for ever flywheel they make.

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I safety wire all day everyday as a jet-engine mechanic for the Air Force, I could do it with or without safety wire pliers, one handed, I've *****ed my fingers so many damn times, by others safety wire. I do have a set at home and my wife makes fun of me because I have safety wired so many things together. The most safety wiring I did was on F16s Falcons P&W 220-220e engines. But practice makes perfect, I'm more of a hands on teacher.

 

Oh daddio I'm building a 27 Roadster too, better believe its gonna have safety wire on it.

 

One more thing the safetywire plier is good for
If you want a thin tig welding rod cut of some
mig wire and twist it with the swp and it stay
straight and stiff

 

I can't understand any company that would require or recomend doing such a thing and not provide the hardware to do so.

 

And don't forget the little plate that Ford used. I think it was to retain the drive dowels, but is perfect for the job of giving the bolts something other than aluminum to tighten against.
With aftermarket wheel and probably afternarket bolts be sure to investigate where the ends of the bolts reach back there...

 

Ok because I don't have a clue, why is this even necessary? Please explain, I feel like I'm reading Chinese...

 

I do recall (just not where) I saw some sheetmetal dog-bones with flaps that after installing the bolt that you would fold over the tab against the head, but that could have been an OEM factory deal. Checked my ARP book and nowhere have they listed both flywheel and pressure plate bolts with holes drilled thru them.