Morris Minor Owners Club

Hi all,

This is my first post as new to the message boards and owning a minor, had my 1959 two door saloon 'Ferrari' for 3 months now.

I managed to shear a rear wheel stud through over-torquing. Ordered 4 replacements from Bull Motif and tried to fit today using the washers-and-wheel nut method to pull the stud home. I stopped when it got seriously hard to tighten, and when I knocked the stud back out all the splines were damaged where it clearly wasn't sitting right in the hub's splines.

I cleaned the splines out and tried with a different stud but same problem. On very close inspection I think that the splines are coarser on the new studs from B M, hence my problem.

Has anyone else experienced this? I will call B M first thing Monday morning to see if it is a bad batch, as I can't find any record of different studs being used. Or am I making a mistake somewhere? I can't see how a spline could be mis-aligned with all the force of tightening on it...


Thanks in advance,

Edd

The splines don't locate the stud to the hub like a driveshaft. The studs are just knurled so they will interfere fit with the hole. They are almos retained in by clamping of the wheel nut onto the wheel and hub "sandwich"
Use plenty of oil in the "splines" and inside the holes. Also oil the threads and the nut and washers in fact all the friction surfaces. Use a good socket and a nice long bar put the flat part of the nut towards the hub and pull the stud into the hole untill it seats properly.

They should pretty much cut their own spline into the hub as you tighten them. Use a pile of washers and a wheel nut on backwards to do the job - but you really should not use more than ~ 45 ft lbf when tightening - or you will be likely to strip the thread or snap the new stud!

Thanks for the reply,

So the correct technique is to use massive force? The broken stud that I knocked out had no damage to its knurled section, whereas there is clear damage to the new studs and then the inside of the hole where I've attempted to seat it. It seems mad to try and use that much effort and to distort the metal that much, but then I don't have any experience in vehicles this old, only outboard motors.

Cheers,

Edd

I wasn't using a torque wrench so will stick that on there tomorrow, take it to 45 ftlb and see what happens. I don't know what the option is if that doesn't work, and is there a safe way to lock the hub from turning? I had a wooden hammer handle between the other wheel studs.


Thanks again guys,

You can usually 'feel' the right starting point by turning the stud by hand , then if the hub is off tap with a hammer to start then pull through as you have been doing but if it's that tight I'd be careful as the female and male splines should match, in the same way a screw thread matches a nut, but tighter though!

It does sound like the splines on the studs are OTT.....perhaps they do that so they won't be loose in a slightly worn hub. But if in any doubt - STOP - and yes phone the supplier!

[quote="edd_barker"]I, and is there a safe way to lock the hub from turning?
Handbrake on, in gear, opposite stud resting on a block of wood. Axle stand under axle

They're not really splines as I said before. It's just that the shank of the stud has slots cut in it this makes it look like splines, the slots allow the surplus metal to fold into them when pulling stud into the hole. This causes a tightish sort of inteferance fit just to retain stud and to prevent it turning when you fit a wheel. You can knock a good stud out with a hammer or mallet by fitting a wheel nut and hitting it through.The mushroom/cheese head on the back stops you pulling it right through.,
You could even dress the stud "splines" with a file, take just the high spots off so it's still a "pull through" fit. Should take less than 2 mins