Tried fitting new wheel studs to my 1992 Escort FWD hubs. Old ones came out with 3 good blows with a club hammer. Tried fitting new longer ones with the tried and tested vice and socket method and I broke my vice ( Cheapo Clarke 6 inch that has had 10 years of abuse ). Old studs measure 12.58 mm on the shank ( average of 8 measurements ) and 12.86 over the splines. The splines have obviously been subject to some deformation from insertion. The new studs measure 12.69 on the shank and 13.20 over the ( virgin splines ).
Got the first of the new ones in through the shank but the vice 'expolded' when trying to insert the splines. I was using a 2 ft extension bar on the vice. ( Needless to say I only got round to serious measurement after this happened.)
So what to do now? options seem to be:
1) finesse holes in hub with a file ( cannot see a reamer of exactly this size being available ) to accomodate 0.1 mm difference in shank diam.
2) Somehow reduce shank by appropriate diam ( I have a lathe ) but I guess the material is pretty hard so probably requires precision grinding - beyond my capability.
3) order studs frm another source - but how do I know these would be more compatible. The ones I have came from E bay supplier M sport. To my inexpert eye they seem well made, nice radius under the head and no obvious deformities, better than the originals in fact. The only thing I noted was that the pitch of of the spines is coarser which probably explains the difference in overall spline diam.
Help required please Locosters!

Time for a bigger stronger vice!
Not being a wise guy here had similar experience with some ball joints last week old ones came out withthe large pesuading hammer, drifted in one replacement but no way was the 2nd one anywheree near the size. I tried the socket technique, a fly press with extended handle but the splines were hardly in the taper on drop arm. I was thinking of taking it to local engineering shop when I thought I'd giveb it one more go- I cleaned entrance to taper with some emery cloth.Several large blows later and it was half way in the rest as they say is history. So persevere with a bigger Vice

Yes, this is why you shouldn't use a vice to press in wheel studs... here's my experience doing the exact same thing



I would recommend using a press for the rest.

Hi
I have access to a lathe at work which we routinely work on pretty hard materials on, and if that fails we have a precision grinder that we mount on the lathe so I should be able to work them to a size for you. We also have a 12ton press (hydraulic) so can press them in if you want.
Just decide if you want the diameter reduced or them pressed in or both.

I live in rayleigh but work at Foxton near Cambridge so where abouts in essex are you, U2U me the details if you want it done.

Pete

A vice is NOT for use as a press - simple , really

Some idiot at work tried a similar stunt with the fabshop 6" Record vice - the replacement cost over £600 (boss was not happy)

I always use a nut and spacer , well oiled , and pull it in with a large rattle gun .

And if you think the splines are too big for the holes - open the holes out a bit , reducing the diameter of the splines will remove the top off the splines - kinda defeats the point of having the spline in the first place !

[Edited on 21/4/13 by clairetoo]

There's no need to use a vice to fit new wheel studs. Draw them through by tightening a wheel nut on the stud after pushing the threaded part through the hub and use a few washers or oversized nuts to act as spacers to take up the slack on the unthreaded section of the stud that is poking through.

That's what I did when I fitted longer studs to a Capri axle. Plenty of info on the net that describes how to do this this. Should work fine as long as the studs and the hub holes are of the same correct dimensions.

edit
Claire has beat me to it.

[Edited on 21/4/13 by RichieW]

But I would advise against Claires suggestion. Working on the car whilst well-oiled is rarely a good idea.

Whilst I've only worked on standard cars, the nut and spacer option works quite nicely for me, although I use a breaker bar rather than a gun. The only problem I had was the first time I did it, it wrecked the tapered base of the nut so I had to consider that one as a new member of my toolkit rather than returning to it's job of holding a wheel on.

quote:

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Originally posted by owelly
But I would advise against Claires suggestion. Working on the car whilst well-oiled is rarely a good idea.

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Thanks for the advice and consolation. I am glad that I am not the only idiot! Problem now solved by subtle filing of the hole and unsubtle use of a big hammer - thanks Russ Bost! Just need a new vice now.