Yes, it's typical of most knock-off equipped race cars. Every sprint car rear axle has the left hand threads on the right side of the car. The difference between the knock off nut and the spindle thread in your example is the knock off nut is spinning with the wheel, while the spindle nut is fixed to the spindle or rear end housing. As far as the OP's question goes, the safety wire is not necessary. IMO, it's mostly for show...in a racing application it would defeat the purpose of the knock-offs...which is fast pit stops.
A very detailed oriented guy I knew thought it would be a good idea to safety wire the "wingnuts" together that were used to hold the battery cables to the posts to keep them from falling off--- the results were quite shocking
I worked with a guy who had had a British sports car with knock offs. He said he had to get rid of it because both front knock offs used to come loose. He took it a number of places and no one could understand why. When he told me the story I said that someone had switched the front hubs from side to side. He had a sheepish look on his face; I think I know who did it.
You guys are outmoded, obsolete and not cool any more. Knockoff wing nuts went out in the 60's. It is hex nuts put on and taken off with an air wrench, a knocker or "L" wrench now. Wiring them really draws the giggles from the people that use them for what they were intended.
this is just something to think about just a little bit. Any car that you race and has to pit before the race is over may need tires and gas. Races are won or lost on pit times. Safety wired wheels are going to be real time consuming. I got an idea that it is more of a street thing than a race thing.
EXACTLY, but what hasn’t been mentioned is when using the hammer on winged knock offs, the wheel must be on the ground with all the weight of the car on it. Hammer tight then hit it twice more.
I always snugged up the nut with the wheel in the air. You have to make sure the wheel is fully seated, then give them a couple of good hits with it on the ground. Also, never hit toward the valve stem.
Years ago at the Riverside Grand Prix (64) I saw a Cobra with knock offs come around a right hand corner and lose a wheel it sailed over the fence and nailed a group of spectators, bounced and then stuck between two fence posts
I have a few different sets of antique wire stuff, buffalo, dayton, and pasco. Cant brag about any racing, or high miles, but never have I seen any kind of safety wire on the old stuff. You carry the lead hammer, and check em once in a while
On the way home a date late one night on a back road in our extremely rural county when I see s an E type Jag roadster sitting on three wheels on the shoulder. Stopped to offer help and the driver said they lost a knockoff. Found the wheel but still looking for the nut. Couldn't stay to help as I was already past my curfew. Don't know if the ever found it. Safety wire sounds like a good idea.
Sure is. We were going out for supper, when I rolled up to the stop sign, the car made a funny "clunk" noise. My wife turned to me and said, "What was that?". At that moment, the back of the car dropped, and I said to her, "Probably that" as the wheel and tire passed us and bounced up over a curb into the cornfield about 50 yards. Jack? What jack? Lead hammer? What lead hammer? I kept both in the trunk after that...
My 38 Chevy had knock-offs for years. Dad would use a large rubber hammer and give them a whack before leaving, and then another whack every other gas stop on long trips. They had LH threads on the passenger side so they always tighten towards the rear of the car, just like a racecar. The car still has knock off hubs on the front with a giant nut instead of a wing nut. I rarely tighten them and they are never loose. I'd say safety wire looks really cool, but not necessary unless you don't want to give 'em a whack every once in a while.
Making a lead hammer get a 4" peace of 1 1/2" pipe drill a hole in the side for a 1/2" pipe handle Then split the pipe cutting through the center of the handle hole weld a plate to one half of one end of the pipe use hose clamps to hold the halves together. Stick a 1/2" pipe handle through the hole if it has threads on one end so much the better for the lead to hold. Melt old wheel weights and fill the pipe.
Why was the hammer of choice lead instead of another softer material? We utilized rawhide faced hammers when I worked in a tool-die setting to keep from marring the die finish. I wonder if it was strictly weight, or was there another reason?
I think it's mostly weight. Brass was also used. Herbrand, then later Proto gave them to Indy car teams at the Speedway in the 1950's and 1960's. 1970 was the last year for wheel hammers at the 500 before changing to hex nuts and impact guns in 1971. There are a couple examples of the Indy 500 hammers in this thread over at Garage Journal: https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=202287 I would love to get my hands on one...
Lead does not mar the finish on my polished knock offs. Also, call it over kill but mine also have hair pin clips that prevent the knock off from coming off.
Safety wiring looks neat in a lot of uses, but I’ve got to say it looks goofy on those knockoffs. If I had knock offs and was worried they might come off, I think I’d rather have some clips like Bandit Billy has instead of a goofy looking wire that you have to cut off every time you take a tire off.....
I have repro '66 Corvette knockoffs on my roadster. I had a wheel come off but it stayed under the fender. I took off the adapter and installed the steel spare. Once I got home I popped off the small caps on the knockoffs and drilled small holes between the spinners and the adapters. I threaded the holes and installed small allen screws and reinstalled the caps. One time one of the screws backed out and popped the cap off. I found the cap, screwed the screw farther in and reinstalled the cap. I redid the setup using srews that had nylon inserts to lock them in place. I carry a small allen wrench tied to the lead hammer. Never had another problem in the last 30 years.
Well, pure, soft gold would be even better, but yes, there is the other reason.... And it seems I'm in the minority, but the wheels to me look much better without safety wire or similar stuff on them.
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