[I'll preface this by saying that I don't even want to go into detail on how
much time I spent trying to remove the bolt through the rear trunnion on this
'72 Spitfire. Suffice it to say that I was "vindicated" somewhat by the fact
that, finally, my local mechanic spent over an hour on it before finally
getting the bolt free! Anyway....]
I went on a scavenger hunt this afternoon trying to locate suitable locking
nuts for the bolts holding the u-joint flange to the differential stub axle
on the Spitfire. I know it's not good practice to reuse the old ones anyway,
and the ones that came off had definitely seen better days in their 29-year
life. I could only find two styles of "nyloc" nuts: one style was a thin
(almost "jam-nut" size) that I didn't care for at all, and the other is quite
fine save for the fact that it's a good 1/8" taller than the nut that came
off. I did grab four of those but am not yet sure that they will work, given
the length of the bolt. The only other option I could find in nuts close to
the original height are what are called "all-metal" locking nuts. (I also
grabbed four of these: one 25-mile round trip was enough!)
My question: Has anyone had any experience with these all-metal style locking
nuts? Any caveats about use on the axle/u-joint flange?
Thanks!
--Andy Mace
"There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this
line." -- Oscar Levant)
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