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3 rights and a left!

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Hooper11772

Hooper11772

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Well I got the engine back in the midget this weekend and finally found a tire shop that would install radial tubes in my new tires for my spoked rims. (harder then anticipated) The new problem i'm having keeping me from the road is that last year I noticed one of my octagonal caps for my knock offs kept coming loose. I figured I wasn't tightening it enough and left it at that. Well, On closer examination I realized that I have 3 right handed knock offs and one left. Does anyone have an octagonal left hand knock off that I could purchase? Losing a wheel sounds like a wild ride i'm not interested in taking!
 
Wouldn't you need a hub or half shaft as well?

Pat
 
I don't think so? The right will go on the left side and vice versa it just threads in reverse. So when I drive forward it loosens over time.
 
The hubs are "handed" that is they are either for the right or left side and the threads are either right or left twist to match. If you have three knock offs that are "right handed" then you have an incorrect hub on one postion of the car and that is dangerous. You'll never be able to keep a knock off tight on that hub. The knock offs are designed so that if you look at the knock off to tighten it you would move the top edge or ear towards the rear of the car. Check your hubs again and replace the one that is incorrect for that side. The most common error is done when doing maintenance and the hubs for the left and right side are interchanged inadvertently.
 

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Hmmm, I'm not sure i'm explaining this corectly. I have a right hand octagonal nut on the left hand side of the car in the rear. Im not with the car now but to tighten the drivers side rear with a right hand octagonal I have to turn it toward the left (which would be wrong). With the left hand nut I was thinking it would turn to the right? Im at my desk right now making hand jestures that i'm sure the people sitting around me are very confused by. Im actually beginning to confuse myself.

I guess the question is if the right hand nut is on the left side do you turn it to the left to tighten or do I infact have the incorect hub? Why does it feel like that sentence is the start of a riddle? :confuse:
 
You cannot need a nut only - you must have the hub to go with it. The female thread on the nut has to have a male counterpart.

I think you are confused. The correct nuts and hubs/halfshafts for a Rudge-type spliined hub are right-hand thread on the left (driver's) side and left-hand thread on the right side. They always tighten by turnig in the opposite direction to the wheel rotation when going forward.
You always turn a right-hand thread nut to the right to tighten it - the nut itself doesn't care what side of the car it's on.
You cannot tighten a right hand octagonal by turning it to the left, but if you have such a nut on the driver's side it's correct.
 
I absolutely agree!! You DO need to swap that 3rd righthand hub and nut for the proper left-hand ones!! That is a very dangerous situation you have and you should change it ASAP or sooner!!
BillM
 
Or, take the right hand nut that is on the wrong side of the car and tighten it, then drill a hole through the nut and hub and install a large cotter pin to prevent the nut loosening. You'll get some strange looks with head shaking, but the nut won't back off.

Or, do as the Cobra guys do. Drill a hole through the nut ear and saftey wire it to a spoke.

Or, stop every ten or so miles and retighten.
 
You also want to check that you have the correct hubs in the correct places. The one on the driver's side is correct, if you've described it accurately.
 
Well, I got to the garage last night and you are all indeed correct. Not that I ever doubted I was just hoping by some miracle it wasn't true. I do have a right hand hub/and nut on the left hand side. The DPO of this car must have been smoking something when he was working on it.

Roger do you think that the cotter pin idea will hold up and be safe until I can get my hands on a used hub and nut? If so that sounds like just the ticket. I can deal with some strange looks but losing my wheel is another story.

Thanks for the advice guys. While still on the subject does anyone have a used hub AND nut that they're willing to sell for the LEFT hand side?
 
Need to know what hub you need, front or rear? Are you absolutely sure that the opposite side hub on that end is indeed the correct one? Like I said before, a common problem is that the hubs get swapped when doing a brake job or such if you have both sides apart at the same time.
As for the cotter pin, I personally wouldn't trust that method of retaining a wheel and wouldn't modify a knock off nut or hub for that even in a bit of an emergency. It probalby would be ok, but I'd just rather not take the chance, as you said loosing a wheel isn't something that you want to find out about.
 
Thanks Bill. Above all I want to make sure i'm safe. The HUB I need is for the drivers side rear. I checked the other side and the thread is correct for that side turning toward the back as your picture describes. It must have been swapped out at some time with the wrong hub so now I have two right hand rear hubs on my car.

Do you think you may have one of these? I have a 68 midget if that matters?
 
Sorry I don't have one and due to the size and weight I'd think you'd be better off trying to find one closer to home as shipping could be expensive. The hub is pressed onto the axle shaft, so if you do find a hub you'll have to make a trip to the machine shop and get the old hub pressed off and the new hub pressed on. Hopefully someone will come up with a complete shaft and hub assembly you can use. Perhaps Tony Barnhill would have onel if you can't find one in your area. I'd drop him a line and check.
 
Let's be clear - you have a left-hand thread hub and nut on the left (driver's) side? If so, it's wrong. Are you 100% sure it hasn't been swapped with the passenger side, and it's wrong too?

And no, I would not recommend the cotter pin solution except as a last resort, get-you-home remedy.
 
Thanks for checking Bill there are a few on E bay in the 95 dollar range with shipping. They come with the axle as you suggest. I may bite the bullet and go with one of these it still beats the moss price for just the hub.

Hey Roger, that is the exact setup I have. The other side is the correct thread so it defintely hasn't been swapped. The prior owner must have replaced the Left rear hub at some point with a right hand one.

Thanks for the advice I have to send Tony as message anyway. I need a PCV as well so i'll stop blowing oil out of my tail pipe!
 
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