Nascar Lugnut Question

[Bannon]

Ok,

How do they stick the Lugnuts to the wheels and keep them from popping off the minute they shove them on the car and start hitting them with the Air wrench?
It seems to me that the second the first nut was torqued the other lug nuts would be popped of the wheel.

Just Curious...

JB

[427 S/O]

When they first started this little trick, they would use hot candle wax to hold them on, I'm sure that have changed to some hi-tech method by now. I remember seeing something about this on speed vision, 'NASCAR legends'.

[petek]

bubblegum.

[Richard Hudgins]

Bannon,

They use 3M weatherstrip adhesive. Typically the yellow stuff. I forget the part number.

However, if you have ever used this stuff, you will understand how well it works for this application.

[Junket]

That yellow weather strip adhesive that stretch like Petek's bubblegum
Ken

[ron427]

The lugnuts are held on by glue that will stretch as the wheel is installed. The outer end of the stud is tapered to a blunt point and the threads begin to form a short distance from the tip. Works fine unless weather is cold and one or more nuts fall off or is cross-threaded. Ron

[Todd Baumann]

Richard is right, at least for the Roush teams. When we were in Richmond last year we where in the pits when the 17 team was putting theirs on and we asked.
Todd

[Mark IV]

...commonly known in bodyshops as "Gorrilla snot" or "Tiger snot"

The real key is the lug studs, they have a long rounded "dog point" end that allows the nuts to slip over and become aligned before engaging the threaded portion. Thus if one has been run down and the wheel has seated the others are still held on the dog point portion until they too are run down. The lug studs are several inches long and expensive. Back in the 1970 Trans-Am days Ford sold the studs used on the Bud Moore theam cars via the Ford Muscle Parts program, part number D0ZX-1012-A and they were over $4.00 each back then. A standard lug stud was about 25 cents.....

Rick

[Bannon]

Thanks Guys!

Hey, I got some "Gorrilla Snot" in the garage, Maybe I'll practice on my Honda civic... It'l give me something to do while I wait for sp 1601 to hit the states...

JB

[65cobra427]

In cold weather they use a double backed adhesive tape with black padding in the center... Its also made by 3M...

[Excaliber]

Yup,,,saw them using the "Gorilla snot" at Phoenix raceway. I had a pit pass for a NASCAR event. I was surprised they call'd it the same name I had been hearing for years around the "shop". Good stuff for all kinds of things. That and a roll of duct tape, and your good to go!

Ernie

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Last year at Talladega I was in Ward Burton's pit stall as the mechanics were glueing the lug nuts on and they do a couple of other things beside what everyone else has posted....

First;they run a pointed wire brush on a drill thru each hole on the wheel to clean them,then spray them with a cleaner and wipe dry,as this is going on another guy is taking new lug nuts from a bucket and running them on and off a dummy front spindle to make sure the threads are true,them they are glued on with the 3-M weatherstrip glue...Then they put a round steel plate on top the lug nuts to hold them in place while the glue sets.... Works like a charm......

David

[ls1ac]

Either the stud or the nut or both have part of the threeds removed. This allows them to align when the wheel is pushed on. They only use 1 1/2 turns hold them on. The glue is done shortly before the race because it drys out and becomes less elastic with time.