Further word, this from Kirkham Motorsports (manufacturers of dead-on Cobra replicas; in fact Kirkham supplies the aluminum bodies to Shelby for his 'replicas'). There's a lot of good advice here; specific reference to the 'proper' direction for knock-off wheels appears partway down.
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Installing Knock-Offs/Spinners/Wingnuts
Since our cars use only one “lug nut” instead of five, you might think this is a simpler method of holding the wheel and tire on the car. While it is simpler in that there is only one part instead of five, there is only one point of failure so we need to use some extra caution when removing and installing knock-offs.
Tools needed:
Knock-off hammer or mallet
Traditionally these have been made of lead. We use a large (5 lb.) nylon mallet in the shop. Lead works well but does not last as long as nylon. We get our mallets at the local home builder supply place.
Safety wire and pliers
Safety wire is a must when properly installing knock-offs. Use 0.032 wire. A set of safety wire pliers will make the job of installing the safety wire easier. You can buy safety wire and pliers in kits from racing and aircraft supply stores (Aircraft Spruce and Specialty).
Anti-seize
This can be purchased at most automotive parts stores. If you don't use anti-seize, you will experience the following:
Best case: You will ruin the rim and the knock off with galling. It is highly unlikely you will stop at best case.
Worst, and most probable case: You will seize the nut onto the hub and you will experience all sorts of new words in your vocabulary as you CUT THE WHEEL, WING NUT, AND HUB apart to disassemble the whole mess. You will be left with mess on the floor and a big hole in your wallet to fix the mess. You MUST anti-seize the threads AND the face of the knock off where it contacts the wheel face. We even anti-seize the drive pins a little.
Jack
We use a low profile racing type hydraulic jack when we are away from the shop and don't have a lift available.
To remove knock-offs and wheels start with the car on the ground. We leave the car on the ground so that the force from removing the knock offs isn't transfered directly to the bearings. Remove the safety wire from the knock-off. Loosen the knock-offs by hitting them firmly with the hammer. Remember, the knock-offs on the left side (left as if you are sitting in the seats) of the car have right-hand threads; the knock-offs on the right-side of the car have left-hand threads. If you can get a good angle it helps to strike the knock-off on different wings. Once the knock-offs loosens you can then raise the car so that you can remove the wheel and tire.
Installing the wheel, tire and knock-off is basically a reverse of the removal, but it also requires some finesse. Start by applying a thin layer of anti-seize to the drive pins and threads on the hub. Place the wheel and tire on the hub by lining the wheel up with the drive pins and sliding it in place. Apply a thin coating of anti-seize to the threads on the knock-off and the area where the knock-off seats on the wheel. Start the knock-off onto the threads. Remember left-hand threads on the right, right-hand threads on the left. Tighten the knock-off until it starts to touch the wheel. Grab opposite edges of the tire and wiggle it side to side and up and down to ensure that it is seated on the hub and that the drive pins are engaged properly. Tighten the knock-off. Repeat until the knock-off is as tight as you can get by hand. You can give the knock-off a wack with the hammer to ensure that it is seated. Now you can lower the car to the ground and finish tightening the knock-off. To tighten the knock-off, strike the wing with the hammer. You should be able to feel the knock-off turn each time you strike it. When it is seated tightly the hammer will bounce back differently because the knock-off has stopped turning. It takes a little practice but eventually you will get a feel for this. Give it a few more wacks to ensure that it isn't moving anymore. You should not have to use “gorilla” force to tighten the knock-off. The drive pins transfer the force from acceleration and braking to the wheel, the knock-off holds the wheel against the hub.
Now it is time for the safety wire. There should be a hole in one wing of the knock-off. Run the safety wire from this hole to a spoke on your wheel. The wire should be installed in a direction so that it is holding the knock-off tight. This wire does not hold the knock-off in place but it is used to show that the knock-off has not come loose. Please bend ALL safety wire ends over to show you care and to prevent safety wire sized holes in your hands. Besides showing that you care, it looks cool. Never drive a car without the safety wire in place on all wheels. Checking the safety wire on each wheel should always be on your pre-flight checklist. Remove your wheels to clean your hubs and knock-offs and re-apply anti-seize once a year to prevent corrosion (more often if you live in a damp or salty ocean climate or if you use your car to trailer a boat).
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Installing Knock-Offs/Spinners/Wingnuts
Since our cars use only one “lug nut” instead of five, you might think this is a simpler method of holding the wheel and tire on the car. While it is simpler in that there is only one part instead of five, there is only one point of failure so we need to use some extra caution when removing and installing knock-offs.
Tools needed:
Knock-off hammer or mallet
Traditionally these have been made of lead. We use a large (5 lb.) nylon mallet in the shop. Lead works well but does not last as long as nylon. We get our mallets at the local home builder supply place.
Safety wire and pliers
Safety wire is a must when properly installing knock-offs. Use 0.032 wire. A set of safety wire pliers will make the job of installing the safety wire easier. You can buy safety wire and pliers in kits from racing and aircraft supply stores (Aircraft Spruce and Specialty).
Anti-seize
This can be purchased at most automotive parts stores. If you don't use anti-seize, you will experience the following:
Best case: You will ruin the rim and the knock off with galling. It is highly unlikely you will stop at best case.
Worst, and most probable case: You will seize the nut onto the hub and you will experience all sorts of new words in your vocabulary as you CUT THE WHEEL, WING NUT, AND HUB apart to disassemble the whole mess. You will be left with mess on the floor and a big hole in your wallet to fix the mess. You MUST anti-seize the threads AND the face of the knock off where it contacts the wheel face. We even anti-seize the drive pins a little.
Jack
We use a low profile racing type hydraulic jack when we are away from the shop and don't have a lift available.
To remove knock-offs and wheels start with the car on the ground. We leave the car on the ground so that the force from removing the knock offs isn't transfered directly to the bearings. Remove the safety wire from the knock-off. Loosen the knock-offs by hitting them firmly with the hammer. Remember, the knock-offs on the left side (left as if you are sitting in the seats) of the car have right-hand threads; the knock-offs on the right-side of the car have left-hand threads. If you can get a good angle it helps to strike the knock-off on different wings. Once the knock-offs loosens you can then raise the car so that you can remove the wheel and tire.
Installing the wheel, tire and knock-off is basically a reverse of the removal, but it also requires some finesse. Start by applying a thin layer of anti-seize to the drive pins and threads on the hub. Place the wheel and tire on the hub by lining the wheel up with the drive pins and sliding it in place. Apply a thin coating of anti-seize to the threads on the knock-off and the area where the knock-off seats on the wheel. Start the knock-off onto the threads. Remember left-hand threads on the right, right-hand threads on the left. Tighten the knock-off until it starts to touch the wheel. Grab opposite edges of the tire and wiggle it side to side and up and down to ensure that it is seated on the hub and that the drive pins are engaged properly. Tighten the knock-off. Repeat until the knock-off is as tight as you can get by hand. You can give the knock-off a wack with the hammer to ensure that it is seated. Now you can lower the car to the ground and finish tightening the knock-off. To tighten the knock-off, strike the wing with the hammer. You should be able to feel the knock-off turn each time you strike it. When it is seated tightly the hammer will bounce back differently because the knock-off has stopped turning. It takes a little practice but eventually you will get a feel for this. Give it a few more wacks to ensure that it isn't moving anymore. You should not have to use “gorilla” force to tighten the knock-off. The drive pins transfer the force from acceleration and braking to the wheel, the knock-off holds the wheel against the hub.
Now it is time for the safety wire. There should be a hole in one wing of the knock-off. Run the safety wire from this hole to a spoke on your wheel. The wire should be installed in a direction so that it is holding the knock-off tight. This wire does not hold the knock-off in place but it is used to show that the knock-off has not come loose. Please bend ALL safety wire ends over to show you care and to prevent safety wire sized holes in your hands. Besides showing that you care, it looks cool. Never drive a car without the safety wire in place on all wheels. Checking the safety wire on each wheel should always be on your pre-flight checklist. Remove your wheels to clean your hubs and knock-offs and re-apply anti-seize once a year to prevent corrosion (more often if you live in a damp or salty ocean climate or if you use your car to trailer a boat).
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