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Locking Wheelnuts.
Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 7:26 pm
by wanderinstar
When I get these 5.5" rims fitted with 185/70 x14 tyres fitted. I would like to keep them fitted . Don't want any sticky fingered oik relieving me of them. I know you can get wheelnuts that have an adapter that fits in wheelbrace to fit them for alloy wheels. Question is can you get any for standard rims, though not standard, if you know what I mean.
Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 9:47 pm
by mike.perry
I don't think there are many cars around these days with the same stud thread as the Minor besides most of them seem to use wheel bolts.
You could always try moving to a less crime ridden part of the country. The Isles of Scilly???
Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 10:05 pm
by bigginger
Check if the ones for the alloys have the same taper on the bottom as the steel wheels (hope that makes sense). If so, use them, I'd have thought
Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 10:27 pm
by bmcecosse
Dunno if there are locking nuts - most are as said above locking wheel bolts. beware - I snapped the special 'key' for my Meriva when trying to undo super tight lock bolts - and it cost a small fortune to get a new one. In the meantime of course I couldn't get any of the wheels off, and I was in the middle of a brake pad change. You could cut the head and short piece of shaft off large Allen screws - and then machine them into nuts to suit the Minor taper, and then use a largish Allen key to undo them. I did something similar many years ago to make lock bolts for an SRi Cavalier I had at the time.
Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 10:40 pm
by bigginger
bmcecosse wrote:Dunno if there are locking nuts
There are.
Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 10:42 pm
by bmcecosse
Can you point us to them Andrew ? Would need to be 3/8" UNF and correct taper for Minor wheels - which is NOT the same as Mini wheels!
Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 11:35 pm
by bigginger
Well, I know a certain company that provides them but modesty AND the moderators terms and conditions forbid me from saying who ;)
Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 11:46 pm
by PSL184
I think we are talking about Bull Motif. I got some for my alloys this week at about a tenner for the 4 so I am hoping they are suitable for the job. They look as though they fiti nto the taper OK.....
Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 11:49 pm
by bmcecosse
Andrew may have been suggesting another supplier. Possibly JLH!
Let us know how the BM ones go PSL!
Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 11:55 pm
by PSL184
Not sure if this pic will show up very well but the taper fits the rim OK and tightens up fine. I've not run the car yet to check for any dynamic issues but I will report back if any show up after a good blast....<br>

<br>
Posted: Wed Sep 10, 2008 11:57 pm
by bmcecosse
Very shiny!
Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 6:47 pm
by polo2k
wow thats a beautiful finish!!!
Kudos if you polished them yourself
-if not-
the rest of the car will have to be just as shiney ;)

Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 7:02 pm
by wanderinstar
Roy, you are not far out in your guess about BGs supplier.
Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 7:26 pm
by PSL184
Yes, I need to get on with polishing the rest of the car now as the wheels are showing everything else up

Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 7:36 pm
by bigginger
wanderinstar wrote:Roy, you are not far out in your guess about BGs supplier.
Damn rules... ;)
Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 8:07 pm
by wanderinstar
Andrew you have a PM. Seems I may have been wrong.
Posted: Thu Sep 11, 2008 10:08 pm
by bigginger
PM replied to

Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 8:12 am
by paulhumphries
After the key to the factory fitted locking nuts on a mates MGF broke last week, and the struggle I had removing them, I'd be careful what you buy.
At least make sure you have a second, duplicate "key", safe for if the original breaks.
Might seem OTT when you buy a brand new set of locking nuts to then have to source a duplicate key but all it takes is one of the prongs on the locking key / tool to shear or burr over and you are stuck with no way of removing the wheel.
Personally I'd not fit them - there again I prefer standard Minor steel wheels than flashy alloys
Paul Humphries
Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 8:18 am
by PSL184
There are some fairly easy ways to remove locking wheel nuts if you loose the key without having to destroy the wheel, although it would not be convienient at the roadside - it's a workshop job. MGF use standard Rover locking nuts (if original ones still fitted) and any Landrover dealer will sell spare keys for £9.00 each.....
Posted: Fri Sep 12, 2008 9:14 am
by paulhumphries
PSL184 wrote:There are some fairly easy ways to remove locking wheel nuts if you loose the key without having to destroy the wheel, although it would not be convienient at the roadside - it's a workshop job. MGF use standard Rover locking nuts (if original ones still fitted) and any Landrover dealer will sell spare keys for £9.00 each.....
In the end after trying everything else I'd got I hammered on an old 12 pointed 3/4" socket and that worked.
The actual nuts were chewed up by the damaged locking key so even a new key wouldn't have helped in this case. My mate found a set of 4 standard nuts in the scrap yard on a crashed MGF and is going to use those rather than buy another set of locking ones.
When thieves can get tools to remove them is it worth having locking nuts anyway ?
After all Minor wheels PCD are only going to fit a limited number of cars so they are hardly desirable to the "Max Power" types
Paul Humphries