Hmmm, point taken. OTOH, how will I ever know how much torque it will take if I don't blow it up?;)

FYI... Vintage Wheel has two types of threaded hex nuts.

SPINNERS ,HEX NUTS ,LUG COVERS : Vintage Wheels, Mustang, Hot Rod and Muscle Car

No Morgan Freeman or James Earl Jones voiceover? :rolleyes:

Mike McCluskey is of course the restorer at Zamperini Field but I believe you're talking about George Petrus of cobraracing.com. He has since passed away and his son has "taken over". I've been to his new shop (his son is a machinist too) and even purchased parts but communication is spotty.

If I'm not mistaken, the nuts from Vintage are ally and the ones from Cobra Racing are SS.
Zoomed View

Thank You.....sometimes it takes a few turns for my brain to catch my mouth....

Ha!
In my case it would take the full 3/4" impact gun.

Well I was thinking "if it's good enough for DanEC and Morris..." but I can't find a half-inch drive torque extension stick at anywhere near 450 ft/lbs. My impact gun has no torque limiting switch for "reverse mode." So, tightening the passenger side spinners will have to have something, like a torque stick, on them (especially when I go up to the 1/2" hose, which I've already ordered).:(

use a mirror.......:p

My thoughts after watching this video - I must be putting entirely too much effort into tightening the spinners on my ERA and 66 Vette. Even with a 6 lb hammer I use both hands and use pretty short but hard licks. %/

Thanks Morris for the info on the centerlocks. Also thanks Rodney and CSX4133 for additional info. I dont have the need for quick tire changes, but like that theres an impact friendly solution out there without ally tools or nuts.

SB

Morris,
What is the purpose of the center locks? How do they work?

Center lock Torque
 

Porsche is 450 Ft/lb also, I bought a 4' torque wrench to install on my GT3 and it takes a 6' breaker bar to remove. I have given myself carpal tunnel in both hands banging on the knock offs so now I need to follow Morris lead and get SS nuts. I can no longer even swing my lead knock off hammer.

Well I just put the half inch hose, and appropriate fittings, on the AirCat and tool and it did indeed make a nice difference.:D. How much, I can't really tell. I still have no way to torque them down accurately with my gun and tool, and I can't find a torque stick that will fit my half inch gun, so I'll just keep whacking them with the Mutha Thumper hammer to put them on and use my tool to remove them.

ACHiPo

The term Center-Lok is used because it's easier in a Race to remove only one Nut as apposed to removing like NASCAR 5 nuts....... In IMSA, Trans-Am and other type of Hi-performance vehicles the Center-Lok actually is the fastner of choice and easier.

On the back side of the Wheel are holes that match the hub studs, so all you do is put the wheel on the hub and rotate until the Studs line up with the holes in the back side of the wheel and the wheel slides right on the studs ... then one big Nut or Center-Lok tightens the wheel to the Hub.

The most important part of this is making sure the Nuts and the wheel have the same mating surface and that the angle is the same on the wheels and the nut.

Here's the Studs and the Center-Lok

http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/d...m/DSC09529.jpg

Here's the nut with a pattern on the nut showing the patter of the wheel and nut mating surface.

http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/d..._Lock_SS_6.jpg

Here's the wheel pattern and nut pattern

http://www.clubcobra.com/photopost/d...Lock_SS_18.jpg

Thats why you need 450#lbs to prevent them from coming off.... and the Anti-Seize and a big bar or Impact Gun to get them off...

It is much easier using a 3/4"inch Impact gun to get them off.... and if you are using Nitrogen and a nut is overly tight ....we just turn the regulator on the tank up to 300# and the nut will come right off.... but normal 175#lbs a/c with knock any nut off...

Sorry for the long post.... just trying to explain. %/

Bruce

Once you change.... you'll wish you had done it many years ago.....Plus it's easy and a 3/4"inch gun will take them off and put them on....many times we have just put them on until the gun slows down hammering and go to the track... no torque wrench and never had a failure.... that size gun when it is slowing down or stops usually is about 500#lbs of torque anyway...
Good luck and spin the nuts the right way....

Morris,
Thank you very much. I was trying to understand the "hoop", thinking it wasn't attached to the nut. Now I see that it acts as a guide so the nut stays in the impact socket and is less likely to be cross-threaded. I've seen the nuts before on Indy cars, et al, but I haven't seen the center lock hoop.

Evan

Evan

There’s a misunderstanding here.......the Center-Lok is the Nut.........because it locks the wheel against the Hub......

The SS loop welded on to the Center-Lok Nut exactly in the same place on each nut is to tie the Cobra down in the trailer......we hook our straps to the loops on the Center-Lok Nuts and ratchet the car in position in the trailer......because the car is to low to strap anything underneath the bottom and because we have the Torsional plate and panels covering up all of the under side of KMP259.....

The reason you have to weld the loops on the Nuts in the same place on each nut is so you can buy a impact socket and machine out the slot for the loop and still slide the socket over the loop to engage the faces of the nut.....to install or remove the traveling nuts and install the racing nut that don’t have the loop mounted on them.....look at one of the first photo’s and you’ll see two different sockets to remove the nuts .....

Morris,
Got it. Thanks!
Evan

Thanks for the explanation, Morris - I was wondering about the loops as well.

... and they make "finger tightening" the nut easier as well.;)