Wacking the spinner...how hard?

I don't have a good feel for how hard is hard enough and how hard is too much. Any tips?

I've always been told by "experts" that first, never strike them without jacking up the wheel, then run them up hand tight then usually 3 or 4 whacks should do it. I then follow up with grabbing the tires at opposite ends and try and "wiggle" them, if you can wiggle them tighten more. I use a 3 pound dead blow hammer and it seems to do a good job with less effort. I doubt you can do too much damage but the earlier 12 tpi hubs are thinner than the later 8 tpi hubs and you might damage the earlier one's by hitting too hard.

I recommend the wooden tool that Moss sells. You can whack that and not hurt the spinners.

That wood "wrench" that Moss sells doesn't last. I hot one mad of heavy gauge nylon type stuff. No marring and is over 5 years old. I was always told that you should get it very firm (whatever that means) and let the driving and braking finish the tightening up. This assumes the hubs are on the right sides or you will watch your wheel speed by you.

I use the 3-lb lead hammers that Moss and other suppliers sell. It's subjective, but I (mostly) let the weight of the hammer do the work; e.g. if you're swinging a carpenter's hammer on a large nail in hardwood you have to accelerate the hammer to get enough force because the head of the hammer is relatively light. With the 3-lb--I think they're 3-lb, might actually weigh more--you let the weight of the hammer do most of the work, you just control its direction and impact point (actually, I add a little oomph in addition to the weight of the hammer). Hard to describe, but it's basically somewhat less than smacking the spinner with all you've got.

I've done it this way for almost 30 years and 120K miles on my BJ8. I think I had one spinner shed some chrome but otherwise no issues with wheels or hubs (and no lost wheels). You will have to buy a new hammer every few years, or you can get a kit to melt and re-form the lead and reuse the hammer handle.

Like Johnny, I also use a dead blow hammer (not sure of the weight). I whack them until they stop moving.

I've heard one should have the wheel off the ground, but the only explanation I've ever heard was that it had to do with not putting too much torque on the spokes. Somehow, I can't imagine me putting more torque on the spokes that the big six in low gear.

tighten it up while in the air, but give them the last blow when the car is on the ground. I will not lower the car all the way. Just enough that the tire contacts the ground and there is enough weight on it so that the wheel does not spin when I hit it again.

I’ve always gone around the car using the Lizzie Bordon method with a $10 neon dead blow hammer from Harbor Freight…Lizzie Bordon took an axe gave her mother 40 whacks and when she saw what she had done gave her father 41... and never lost a wheel yet.

Ray 64BJ8P1

tahoe healey said:

That wood "wrench" that Moss sells doesn't last.

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Right you are TH. To make it last, I placed some leather in the areas where the knock-on comes into contact with it. I been using this one for many years and it seems to hold up well. I also use a dead blow hammer. The wood works much better.

Cheers,
Roger

I know the theory on the knock-offs being self tightening, I even may beleive it to some extent, but I still whack them on but good, once they stop moving significantlyly at each hammer stroke I give them 5-10 more for good measure.

Here is the question I ask myself and can't get past, "if self tightening works so well how come all the old British Sports cars I have bought that have wire wheels have such badly worn splines and hubs?

The self tightening supposedly happens by a circular sort of motion between wheel hub and spinner, maybe this motion wears out the splines over time.

I do not know that theory. They will fall off if they are not tightened properly. I've seen it happen.

Allen at Hendrix Wire Wheel needs to pipe in. (He's the man!) I had one wheel that had an impression on the inside of the hub due to being too tight against the brake rotter cone. It seems to me that since it butts up against the "cone" that could decrease tension on the inner spokes if over tightened.

Legal Bill said:

I do not know that theory. They will fall off if they are not tightened properly. I've seen it happen.

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I knew a guy that as a young man and worked for a dealership, used to pickup the Healeys at the unloading docks in Florida and was required to tighten the spinners via using the hammer. He used to say that the hammer marked up the spinners, but he was told to do it.

The hammer is often referred to as a "knock-off" hammer, but never a "knock-on" hammer. Interesting!! Possibly due to the spinners self-tightening properties?

I think I read somewhere, that the correct term for the ear is a knock-on.

AUSMHLY said:

I think I read somewhere, that the correct term for the ear is a knock-on.

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BTW, if you want a really primo knockoff hammer, check out this one: https://www.americanhammer.com/ Won't damage your knockoffs and after you beat it to a pulp, they'll recast it for you.

Ok, due to some "alternate" views on tightening wire wheels, I actually spent time researching the issue.

The Austin Healey 3000 Mark III Driver's Handbook calls it a "knock-on" and says:
"Tighten the hub cap with a mallet."

The Austin Healey Workshop Manual says:
"When the car is new:After the first long run or after 50 miles of short runs, jack up the wheels and hammer the nuts to make sure they are tight. Always jack up the wheel before using the hammer."

The Haynes Austin Healey 100/6 & 3000 Owner's Workshop Manual says:
"Monthly or every 1000 miles check 'knock-on' wheel caps for tightness".

Dayton's web site says:
Tighten Caps
While car is still on jacks run the knock-off caps up tight. Two-eared and 3-eared caps must be tightened with a Dayton WireWheel lead hammer. Octagon,
Dome, Diamond, and OTD caps must be tighten with the appropriate wrench and lead hammer. Wrench tightening alone is not sufficient.
Test
Spin wheels by hand to make sure there is no rubbing against brake calipers. Also, rock wheel assembly to verify that the knock-off cap has seated completely in the wheel. No looseness should be noticeable.
Retighten Caps
Lower the car and hammer the caps until there is no movement under the hardest blow of the hammer. After the car has been run 25 miles, be sure to re-check
the knock-off cap for tightness. The wheels seat themselves on the adapters after the initial run-in and knock-off caps can be tightened further. THIS IS
IMPORTANT. Knock-off caps must be very tight to prevent wear of the drive teeth. Continue to tighten knock-off caps every 100 miles for the first 500 miles.
Then check tightness every few weeks. WIRE WHEELS should always be checked for tightness of knock-off caps regularly.
https://www.daytonwirewheels.com/pdf/installationinstructionsfork-o.pdf

I hope this provides ample authority and instruction for how and how often to tighten your knock-ons. PLEASE DO NOT THINK YOUR KNOCK-ONS TIGHTEN THEMSELVES. Your life is at risk.

I hit them until they don't move. I don't hit it again at that point.

I use a rawhide mallet held tight to the spinner, then whack it with a Proto "Indianapolis 500" copper hammer (at least 5#, maybe 7#...).

The wheels stay on, and the spinners are not marred.

Randy Forbes said:

I hit them until they don't move.

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Are you talking a back swing of 3 inches, 6 inches, 12 inches, 18 inches, 24 inches, more?

Healey_Z said:

Randy Forbes said:

I hit them until they don't move.

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Are you talking a back swing of 3 inches, 6 inches, 12 inches, 18 inches, 24 inches, more?

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Indeed, aside from marring the ears, my question has always been, has anyone ever seen damage from over-tightening?

It would seem unlikely that you'd strip the threads or distort the wheel. And, given how common worn splines are, I would think erring on too tight rather too loose is safer.