torque thrust....pictures added

I have a pair of older torque thrust wheels I want to use. I thought they used a shank type lug nut. But nothing I have will go though the hole. Looking closer they look like they also have a tapered seat. Any ideas what lug nut to use? Thanks, Gene.

 

Might have to clean up the holes with a Dremel tool.

 

P i c t u r e

 

Try to get a picture here later. Do not know if a Dremel is the right way to go. Lugs look to miss going in the hole by more than a little.

 

What are the wheels made of? Aluminim, magnesium? Show pics please.

 

note:
early american wheels had 5/8" lug holes and required 5/8" shank lugs. It was found that these early lugs with 1/2" studs, that were short and did not reach into the hex head area of the nut, would break head of the lug off and the shank section would stay on the stud, as the wheel rolled away from the car.
The solution to your problem is to have the wheel drilled for standard 11/16 mag shank lugs. The wheel could also have inserts installed to accept acorn lugs.

scott

 

I have some of the early Americans and had to special order my lug nuts instead of opening up the holes for larger shank style lug nuts. It was over 10 years ago that I ordered them but would guess that they are still available and mine are 7/16 studs not the 1/2 inch ones like Ford used.

 

O.K. Will check futher. Didn't get pictures on tonight. Have them on the car right now to check offset, etc. Will post some tomorrow. Wheels are 15x8.5 aluminium 5 on 4.75. And I am using 1/2" studs. Gene.

 

If they have a tapered seat then you should use conical lug nuts and the shank style dont fit for a reason. I have 5 sets of torque thrusts and torque thrust Ds, they all use conical lug nuts.

 

Sounds like you got a set of ET's..

they take a special lug and washer.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=682614

What ya need

 

Yes I know. I do have some E.T.'s. But these are Americans. At least that is what they say on them. Will pull them off tomorrow and look more closely.

 

Sorry, but this post SUCKS without pictures...

 

They might have steel lug nut inserts that take a normal tapered lug nut...I have had Americans with those...

 

no steel inserts but it does look tapered. maybe only to get lug thru? if this worked, here are some pictures. gene

 

The top edge looks slightly chamfered. A standard shank nut measures out at about .680" with a dial caliper. The wheel hole is slightly bigger for clearance - about .688/.689" for clearance. Just a quick measurement on a new shank nut and an old Halibrand wheel.

Charlie

 

I have a pair just like this, took off a '68 Corvette in 1975. Just went out to the shop and checked 7/16 shank style work, a tad bit loose on my wheels but never had problems, ran them about 5 years on my old roadster. The bit of taper is just as you said, to make it easier to get them started. These are older American wheels, newer American wheels use the conical lug nuts.

 

You might have to have the holes opened up a little bit since you are using 1/2 inch studs as most GM's had 7/16 studs and that might be why you cannot get a shank lug to fit.

 

I had basically the same question regarding an early set of American 200S wheels some time back.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=572792

I found a local machine shop that opened the holes up for .680 shank lug nuts. Cost me $60 for two wheels which I thought was more than fair.

 

Common shanks nuts are the same OD whether the stud is 7/16" or 1/2".

Regardless, the original poster needs to measure the hole in his wheel and the shank nut he's trying to use to determine what he needs to do.

Otherwise there is a lot of useless and wrong information flying around in this thread.

Charlie

 

I understand lug nuts for Centerlines or Welds might be the same O.D. And not what I need. And I can easily measure the holes and the lugs to see how much they miss by. But I still don't see someone going into a speed shop in the '60's and the clerk saying. " Here are your new wheels and lugs, now take them down to the local machine shop and tell the guy to make the lugs fit" What I am getting at is, there should be someone that knows what were the correct lugs and if I can still buy them.

 

picture added

 

All of us would like to help you. Please measure and post the diameter of the holes in your wheel. Shank nuts for street cars have been pretty much the same since sometime in the 60's. I have run across a few wheels with larger holes for 5/8" or thereabout studs and larger diameter shank nuts but they are not common. I've been buying hot rod wheels since the late 50's and have never run across any that are smaller as you describe.

We can not measure your wheels but if you post the info I will research whether such a shank nut is available. If the holes are smaller than the common .680 shank nuts I would have them machined to the correct size for those nuts.

Charlie

 

agreed, those do not use conical, look like short or long mag, cant tell without measurements.

 

10-4 will measure tonight. might be too late to post tonight will post tomorrow.gene
p.s. not trying to be a wise guy. just didn't think it would be this involved.

 

lug holes measure .630-.635. wheels are about .600 thick at the lug holes.

 

As stated earlier in this thread, Amercan wheels were drilled for .625 shank lug nuts in the 60's and I'm only guessing that they made the change in the early 70's to use .680 shank lug nuts. I have a set of American 200S wheels that I bought new in 1973 and they use .680 shank lug nuts.

This set of 200S americans were bought in 1970 and they are drilled for .625 shank lug nuts.






I spent quite a bit of time trying to find .625 shank lug nuts without sucess. My machine shop offered to turn down a set of larger shank lug nuts to .625, but I opted to have them open the holes in my wheels up for the common .680 shank. I didn't want 2 wheels requiring a different lug nut from my other wheels.

 

Drew thanks for the info. I know of an old speed shop. I will check with them. If they don't have lugs. No one around here will. Than I will look into having the holes opened up. Thanks, Gene.

 

I have an old set of T70R americans that had this issue. I found that they require E.T lug nuts. ET stood for extended thread. They gave a conical seat, but also a little shank that centers the wheels on the lugs.

 

"I have an old set of T70R americans that had this issue. I found that they require E.T lug nuts. ET stood for extended thread. They gave a conical seat, but also a little shank that centers the wheels on the lugs."

ET doesnt stand for extended thread...it was a wheel company that made wheels with washers that required this style of lug nut. It was a unique hybrid of a conical seat and a slight shank that centered it past a special washer that you were supposed to use. I dont think I would run these on a mag style wheel that is supposed to run full length shanks...It seems like you are putting all the force of the lug nut on an area of the wheel it wasnt intended for. The slight chamfer like others have said is just to aid in the lug nut going through as they are supposed to be kind of tight. I think the swapmeets down here in Los Angeles have lug nut vendors that sell the proper lug nut...check out "lug nut king" or something like that online..maybe you can order some over the net...but dont use ET lug nuts! The proper lug nut will use a washer that spreads the clamping load over a MUCH larger area than using an acorn style lug nut..The ET lug nut was designed to be used with the large washer that the ET wheels are designed for ..you can see how the clamping force is spread over a much larger area, UNDER the ET washer when used correctly..

 

before i break the wheels back down and start drilling on them. does anyone else have an idea where to get lug nuts?