Lippy's ERA #797 build log

[DanEC]

I slathered plenty of anti-sieze lube on pins and hubs of both the wheels and the adaptor. Once they had been on a time or two I wiped the excess off. I also used the 5-pin wheels and adaptors (I know we are looked down on amongst the 6-pin crowd) and had a problem on my rear wheels because the ERA lug bolts were too long and had to be trimmed off per the instructions from Vintage Wheels. The fronts were OK.

I wanted to maintain as much length as possible and trimmed them with an air driven cut off wheel after marking them with a template. But I managed to get a couple that were just a few hundreds too long and when I tightened the adaptor and pins in position their over length (and end surfaces not being 100% flat) cocked the pins just enough that the wheels would not slide on.

After realizing this I went back over the lug bolts with my micrometer and figured out the couple that needed a touch of grinding to shorten them and re-installed and then the wheels went on OK just with thumping on the sidewalls with my palms. I learned that it doesn't take much to distort the adaptor and pin very slightly to create interference.

I think Vintage just brought out FIA wheels - is that what you are using or Trigos? Did you trim the rear lug bolts?

[DanEC]

Referring to Patrick's comments - I have dollies under the wheels of my car so I can roll it around and push it into a storage position. Even if you don't have a need for them for that purpose, I would recommend going down to Harbor Frieght and buying one of their jacking floor dollies. Even an inexpensive wheel dolly will work OK. When removing a wheel slide that thing under it and lower the cars weight to where it is just making solid contact, spin off the spinner and just slide that wheel off with the dolly and roll it aside - no lifting or straining. The beauty is that if you don't turn the rotor while doing what you need to do in there - the dolly keeps the wheel in the same exact position as you took it off in. Just roll it back in position. Make sure the hub is concentric with the wheel opening and it just slide back on perfectly with no lifting, turning to re-align pins, pulled back muscles, curse words or kicking the dog. It's vritually effortless. I'm 62 and it good shape but I just don't like lifting these heavy tires and trying to get the pins to line up correctly anymore while straining my back.