Technical How do you alter lug nut taper on aluminium wheels?

I have some alum wheels for an OT project. The car uses Bassett race wheels normally. They use a lug nut with a 45 degree taper. The aluminum wheels use a stock 30 degree lug nut taper. How would I modify the wheels to accept the 45 degree lugs? I can't find any kind of countersink with the correct angle.

 

Cut some 'tall' 45* lug nuts to 30* clamped on their hexes: lathe, 3 jaw chuck. Best of both worlds.

 

Yep, I would do just like Mike says, cut the nut not the wheel.

 

Why not purchase a second set of lug nuts with the correct angle for the wheels you are mounting?

 

If he's using basset wheels he may be using extra large lugs. Probably can't get trick lug nuts to fit them.

 

McMaster-Carr would have the C'sink..It would be called a 90° countersink..

 

Seb, I think it would be a 60 degree counter sink.

 

Seb's correct...Countersinks are measured for their total, not the 'hypotenuse' angle. (45* + 45*)

 

But aren't we trying to go the other way?

 

Oh, I see. We are back to the original question. What a novel idea. I stand corrected.

 

try speedway as they sell bassetts and the racing lug nuts that they use . and the stock wheels use a 60* taper not 30* I would modify some lugnuts to the 45* ( which they must be ground as they are heat treated) and not touch the wheel or buy the 60* lugs as they make them in many different configurations

 

All lug nuts are soft enough to turn in a lathe, Stockers and racing ones. We do them both ways to match the wheels we are using. Making 60* racing one inchers and 90* stock ones. Always match the wheels.

 

Bisected

 

Be careful with countersinks, most times they are 82 deg.
Such as used for flat head cap screws.

 

Thanks for all the input. I thought I might actually need a 90 countersink (45+45) but I was not sure. I have to leave the Bassett wheels alone so I am committed to the 45 degree lugs. I hope to convert the alum wheels to 45 too so I don't need to carry multiple sets of different lugs. This is for an OT 24 Hours of Lemons car so I need the spare wheels to interchange. Is there a reason not to modify the stock wheels?

 

You should be OK going from 30/60 to 45/90 taper on the wheels. Just kiss'em with the 90 degree countersink and leave the straight section of the hole towards the hub the same thickness. I was just involved with doing a steel set of wheels that way but they haven't been fully tested yet.

FWIW I got agricultural with a set of steel wheels on my OT DD 4x4 with wallowed out lug holes. Just slapped on a set of 1" 45/90 degree racing lugs without doing anything to the wheel holes and drove it for a couple of years with no wheel issues until the body rotted out.

As always my advice is good for 5 ft or 5 seconds whichever comes first. Other's experiences may vary.

 

As a Lemons car, the whole this is only good for about 5 feet.

 

In case some on here don't know it, this is not a typo, it's a play on the word Lemans.
A race series that looks like a lot of fun, look it up.

 

I think it was more fun in the beginning before people started building purpose built cars to compete. Back when they were truly lemons.

I can grasp not wanting to carry extra lugs, they are not nearly as big as the extra wheels that are being carried.

 

It isn't as much of an issue of not wanting to carry 2 sets of lugs, it's more of an issue of not wanting to mix them up and put the wrong ones on the wrong wheels. The visual difference between a 30 and a 45 is very slight. The racing is very serious. The events are kind of a hoot too. We may go to some Chumpcar races next season. There is a Model A that is very fast. I probably should have put Model A in quotes.

 

Paint the lug nuts different colors. NASCAR boys have to paint them yellow so the official can see them on the car. You select the colors. The yellow is appropriate for a Lemons car.