Chris, Sam, et Listers,
Chris is essentially correct, although in error wrt a few of the details.
In particular, I believe it was the "rod length" thread, not the "stud
length" thread, but hopefully we can all put that unhappy chapter behind us
along with the rest of the '98 history and start with a fresh slate for '99.
Sam, regarding "studs", as Chris says, they are pretty cheap and readily
available, so the only question is which ones to choose. In addition to the
length, the knurled and thread diameters are also important. While the
stock 7/16" studs are adequate in principle, 1/2" studs give you a nice
margin of safety wrt overtorqueing. You may need to re-drill the stud holes
anyway to get the right interference fit with the knurled section of the
new studs. You want this fit to be right (i.e., as tight as possible) so
the studs don't come loose later. The studs I recommend are 1/2-20 X
1-15/16" (Dorman Products part no. 610-080). They are zinc or cadmium
coated and I bought them in a box of ten for a price I can't remember, but
probably less than $20. Replacing the front axle studs is relatively easy,
but if you have the hubs re-drilled, have it done in a manner that ensures
accuracy. (NOT with a hand drill in situ.) The same goes for the rear axle,
but in this case, you will probably need to pull hubs off the rear axles in
order to install the new studs (either 7/16" or 1/2"). I know one person
who was able to install 1/2" studs by putting a hole in the backing plate
and installing them this way, but I've never tried this myself. Besides, I
wouldn't trust drilling the holes out using a hand drill. There have been
postings to the LIst about how best to pull the rear axle hubs, which can
be very difficult and downright dangerous if not done properly. I'm sure
someone can repost this procedure for you if you have questions.
Good luck and Happy New Year from Sunny in the 70's San Diego,
Bob
At 07:59 PM 1/1/99 -0500, Chris Richards wrote:
>I think Bob Palmer addressed this issue earlier this year. His posting
>caused 14 people to be fired from their employers, 24 to be chastised by
>their peers, and 327 others to spend numerous late hours viewing questional
>Web Sites. Longer Studs are a dime a dozen; it is the rim holes that are
>expensive.
>
>Another Calander New Year-
>
>Chris in Trinidad
>
>----------
>> From: John Haynes <johnhaynes@som-uky.campus.mci.net>
>> To: Scott Lampert <netscott@earthlink.net>; tiger page
><tigers@autox.team.net>
>> Subject: Re: Stud length for alloy wheels
>> Date: Friday, January 01, 1999 6:23 PM
>>
>> The VB Minilite look alike wheels I have are thicker at the stud holes
>> than the Lat alloys, causing the lug nuts to only use about 5 threads.
>Where
>> can I get longer studs ?
>> Sam Haynes
>> >
>> >
Robert L. Palmer
Dept. of AMES, Univ. of Calif., San Diego
rpalmer@ames.ucsd.edu
rpalmer@cts.com
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