Looking to take off my wheels on my recently acquired AC Mk IV Cobra so that I can give them a good inspection and general clean then put them back with some anti-seize and with the correct torque.
I have the lead hammer and as much as I hammer away at them they won't budge so before I go the next steps and start to get medieval on them I need to confirm which turn direction the wing nuts loosen for each wheel, clockwise or anticlockwise as I know they are different on each side (I think).
Secondly when retightening them what appropriate torgue should I use. I also have a wing nut removal tool that I can use with the torque wrench.
look forward to your learned advise :)
Best Regs
Easily remembered as the "Top of the nut turns towards the front of the car" to undo. That way you don't have to remember something different for both sides.
Its much easier to use a wing nut tool with a long breaker bar than hit 7 shades of cr#p out of the wingnut with a lead hammer!
Andy has a good description. I always imagine that the hub nut cannot escape unless it goes faster than the wheel - which it cannot do as it is an inert object. So always undo by turning in the direction of the wheel's forward rotation. However beware:
1) Hubs can and have been fitted to the wrong side
2) To be really pedantic I believe that a female centre lock wheel retaining nut, as for example
on the wire wheels of an Ace or Cobra, should also conform to the rule Andy describes.
However male wheel retaining nuts, as for example the ones on an alloy wheeled Cobra, which
we are discussing here, should conform in the opposite sense. Relax though because
A.C./Halibrand did not follow this convention, although other manufacturers did. I believe
for example Lotus did.
This might, I suppose, be quite confusing if you owned both a Lotus Climax Super Seven and a
Lotus 26R.....
From my own experience the Halibrand wheels do sometimes lose torque, unless put on really tight. I wonder if that is because A.C. kept the thread direction the same as on the earlier Rudge Whitworth wire wheel hubs ?
I have to say I am not too keen on long bars, big torque wrenches and adaptors for winged hub nuts. Equally I am even less keen on trying to strike the wings with a sufficiently large mallet and at a sufficiently great force: You will sooner rather than later damage a wheel rim. The method which I have found works best and produces a sufficient torque to prevent loosening, is by a large drift or punch between the wing and the mallet. Something like aluminium round bar 2" diameter and 14" long does the job. I think you need the 'shock' of copper to achieve easy removal and lead will not do this. You should also be aware that the No. 2 Thor hammer, supplied in the toolkit by A.C. is ideal for wire wheels, which should never be flogged up so tight as to crush the wheel hub, but is entirely too small and light to safely deal with the Halibrand. For this you should go to a No. 3 Thor. I have never found a use for the leather end and always go for double copper.
Do let us know how you get on, those wheels can be very tight indeed
Barrie
"large drift or punch between the wing and the mallet"
This sounds interesting as I have a nice chunk of aluminium bar that could work.
Thanks guys I shall let you know !?