Tony,
Thanks for your great recs on my problem. I have received some very helpful
comments from listers and have been experimenting along slowly. Loctite red was
mentioned, and some thought of maybe putting the double nut lock on one end of
the
stud to get the nyloc off. And more recently I was successful in removing all
6
nylocs from the trailing arm studs on the hub from the other side of the car
without any problem, though I gave them shots of WD=40.
You are precisely correct as to my LBC dilemma, which maybe I failed to share or
failed to comprehend until recently testing out the trailing arm threads and
finding
them in good condition. Just as you said, the Nyloc nuts have seemingly rusted
and
tightened down greatly on those studs that pulled out. I like your idea a lot
about
how to remove the nuts without risk of damaging the stud threads (which must be
re-implanted into the trailing arm threads. Actually, I was also considering
buying
new studs and nylocs and can order them. In visiting all of the local auto and
hardware shops, I was really frustrated in trying to finding equivalent studs,
nylocs and nuts. I believed the bottom part of the stud is a coarse thread, and
the
top a fine thread. I also bought a tap and die set after hearing from listers,
and
now learning about using the die. Also trying to learn more about bolt and nut
specs..
But thanks very much for determining my actual problem before I had actually
determined it myself!! And a most ingenious operation with the split bolt on the
flat of the stud in the vise!! Would have never thought of that one, but I'm
learning. I have the entire rear suspension out on both sides.
Thanks again,
And I'm following number one closely!! D. Michael
Tony Gordon wrote:
> Michael,
>
> I started a reply to you a day or so ago, and got bogged down with other
> stuff, and hope that the following is not repetitious or unhelpful (or just
> plain too late!).
>
> I saw a few replies about helicoiling and otherwise fixing up the threads
> on the trailing arm casing, but I thought that wasn't the problem you were
> addressing. It seemed that you had a case of studs + nylocs unscrewing
> completely, rather than the Nyloc nuts alone, thus leaving you with 4 nuts
> + studs assemblies in your hand, with pretty good threads in the trailing arm!
>
> If that is the case, the following might help (if not, ignore my ramble,
> but it might help someone else eventually!).
>
> It is not uncommon on smaller studs for the Nylocs to become attached to
> the stud pretty firmly after a while. Nylocs are designed to grip, and
> sometimes they grip rather more than the stud-to-casting thread. This
> isn't a bid deal as long as you know: 1. how to remove the Nylocs, and 2.
> how to fit the studs back into the casting. The secrets are thus ....
>
> To remove a nut from a stud - whether Nyloc or just plain ordinary - is
> pretty straightforward. The incantations follow:
>
> 1. Hum slowly the Lucas song "... and put a beer or 2 on ice"
> 2. Get a plain nut that fits the stud thread (remember some studs have
> dissimilar threads from end to end - in that case get a plain nut for the
> end that does not have a Nyloc nut fitted).
> 3. fit this plain nut (all by itself - not fitted to the stud) in to a
> bench vise so that one of the 6 corners is upper-most. Carefully saw with
> a hackwaw through the corner into the center of the nut. The bigger the
> gap the better, so do not make this dainty. DO NOT GO OUT THE OTHER SIDE
> OF THE NUT. If you do, you will have a 2-piece nut (would work, not
> needed) and you will have ruined a large vise. To say nothing of the
> energy wasted!
> 4. carefully spin (well, fit with a spanner would be more realistic) the
> split nut onto the stud so it is completely threaded on to the stud.
> 5. hold the split nut (plus stud) vertically in said vise so the stud
>plus
> split nut are gripped across the flats. The split on the nut should be in
> the space between the vise jaws so it will tighten on the thread as you
> tighten the vise. Tighten the vise so nothing moves, but not to the point
> you crush the split nut. This should leave you with a split nut squashed
> onto the stud in the vise, and a Nyloc nut attached to the top of the stud
> well clear of the top of the vise.
> 6. get a 7/16 spanner and undo the Nyloc and throw in the bin.
> 7. release the vise and remove the split nut from the stud.
> 8. repeat 4 times
> 9. open the can of cold beer and take 1 sip and say, "thank you, Part 1."
>
> Now you have the studs and nuts separated, you need to fit the studs back
> into the trailing arm. Follow the following:
>
> 1. get 2 plain nuts of the correct size and thread form for the outer
>part
> of the stud - not the bit that goes into the trailing arm (THEY MUST NOT BE
> NYLOCS). DO NOT SAW THEM. Spin the first one on, and then the second.
> Both must be fully threaded onto the stud. Spin them together with finger
> force.
> 2. slip a ring spanner over the 2 nuts, and then find the elusive second
> ring spanner of the same size. Fit one ring on one nut, and the second
> ring on the second nut, and tighten them towards each other firmly. This
> sounds more difficult than it is (you may need the spilt nut from above to
> make it easier, but it isn't necessary). At the end of the process you
> have produced a LOCK-NUT assembly. This device allows you to turn the stud
> with ease since the nuts and the stud are LOCKED together. It ain't my
> invention. Thank Joe Whitworth for this one (and maybe his friend
> Archimedes).
> 3. Now fit the stud into the trailing arm and using a socket and torque
> wrench. Torque the stud down to the correct torque. If my factory manual
> wasn't in the upstairs loo (three floors away) I'd look it up for you ...
> let me know if you need the info - and don't ask the other question.
> 4. Now the fun part. Get the above 2 wrenches and carefully fit them to
> the 2 nuts, and move them apart without upsetting the torque loading (it
> can be done, and this isn't NASA at the end of the day). Now spin off the
> 2 plain nuts.
> 5. To help avoid the problem next time round, you can install the studs
> with Locktite Red. This chemical compound will lock the stud in place
> pretty well, and stop stud removal when you undo the Nyloc. You can also
> save some money on that front by asking you wife/girlfriend for a nail
> color no long in fashion and coating the threads with nail varnish. For
> non-heated applications, it has similar performance (well, in my opinion,
> and after 25 years of using it!).
> 6. Buy NEW Nylocs (old ones are not guaranteed not to release with
> vibration and so on), and refit everything as before.
> 7. Get that beer, take a deep draft and thank Joe Whitworth, Archimedes
>and
> me! Cheers!
> 8. Sit back and enjoy another LBC moment
>
> Tony Gordon
> Midland, MI
>
> >My rear suspension rebuild is going well with all the list help. But,
> >when I went to release the 6 nuts to remove the right half-axle/hub
> >assembly, 4 out of 6 studs unscrewed totally. It appears that the
> >threads were good, but now I have 4 full studs with nuts which are at
> >the point at which they were tightened down. I assume there may be no
> >problem if I can screw them back in carefully with a torque wrench. Any
> >comments as to returning the studs properly - to avoid stripping out the
> >aluminum threads in the trailing arms, would be much appreciated.
> >
> >Thanks for your help, D. Michael
> >
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