Thinking of building an adaptor to allow a torque wrench to tighten the knock-ons

[twas_brillig]

but does anyone have any idea as to how many foot pounds would be appropriate (assuming I'm successful with the adaptor, the torque wrench would be right on the centreline of the wheel)? Thanks, Doug

 

[haasad]

To shear and back two flats. ....��

 

[HealeyRick]

Since knock-offs are "self-tightening", there's probably no need to go to all the trouble of designing a bespoke torque wrench for the job. (If Roger Menadue never used a torque wrench, why should I?) I just give them two or three good bonks until they give a solid sound. As usual, Peter Egan is instructive: https://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a28133/lost-art-the-smiting-of-the-knockoffs/

 

[John Turney]

If you use one of these, it's one half turn past hand tight:

 

[Healey Nut]

There was a german guy who made one for the winged knock offs , it was a while back . He had a website but the thing was stupid expensive and really not nessacary .

 

[Boink]

I remember seeing a wooden one (used for an MGA). Still, the copper mallet always seemed to work for me.

 

[Healey Nut]

Here it is . https://knockoffspinnertool.com/two_eared_spinners_42mm_-_52mm

and heres another
https://www.oldtimertools.de/

 

[Randy Forbes]

I'll stick with the solid sound, though I do an impact variation using two (2) hammers, a rawhide mallet held tight to the K/O and then strike its opposite face with my heavy Proto Indianapolis 500 copper hammer.

Now seven (>7 yrs) later and the spinners on my Healey are still pristine.

 

[steveg]

I use an all-lead hammer from American Hammer (also sold by Moss) - available in various weights. No distortion.

Years ago had one of the wooden wrenches from Moss. They disintegrate when your knockoff is stuck.

Have a Charlie Hart wooden wrench. It broke.

Lead hammer & solid sound works best for me.

Addendum: https://americanhammer.com/lead-hammer/

 

[Patrick67BJ8]

I use a orange dead blow hammer/mallet from HF. Works great.

 

[steveg]

I use a orange dead blow hammer/mallet from HF. Works great.

Watch out for the shot canister edge cutting through the face - that will nick your knockoff. I went through 2 of the HF black dead-blow hammers that way.

 

[Keoke]

I also use an all-lead hammer-

 

[Randy Forbes]

I use a orange dead blow hammer/mallet from HF. Works great.

Watch out for the shot canister edge cutting through the face - that will nick your knockoff. I went through 2 of the HF black dead-blow hammers that way.

Watch out using a plastic/dead-blow hammer in cooler temps too! Last one I had__a Proto__blew itself apart in mid-50* temps in southern Louisiana.

After that, I don't trust them anymore.

 

[Michael Oritt]

Just before starting to reinstall a wheel and attach the knockoff I carefully anneal the brass end of my original Thor 04-310BHP hammer so that when measured with a Shore durometer (using the ASTM D2240 type D scale) I get a reading of 60, thus establishing a pre-tightening baseline.

I then have at the knockoff with the Thor, carefully measuring the hardness of the brass face with the aforementioned instrument. When the durometer reading increases to 74-76 measured at the center of the brass face I stop whacking.

It is important that the initial measurement be performed within 15 minutes of the annealing so that thermal expansion/contraction of the brass does not give a false reading, and naturally this procedure must be repeated for each wheel. I have been using this method for almost 20 years and I have yet to be passed by one of my own wheels while driving. This works on both the near and off side knockons.

BTW I imagine that ambient temperature may have some affect upon the readings I get and the relative force being applied but I have not yet factored it into my calculations.

 

[steveg]

Just before starting to reinstall a wheel and attach the knockoff I carefully anneal the brass end of my original Thor 04-310BHP hammer so that when measured with a Shore durometer (using the ASTM D2240 type D scale) I get a reading of 60, thus establishing a pre-tightening baseline.

I then have at the knockoff with the Thor, carefully measuring the hardness of the brass face with the aforementioned instrument. When the durometer reading increases to 74-76 measured at the center of the brass face I stop whacking.

It is important that the initial measurement be performed within 15 minutes of the annealing so that thermal expansion/contraction of the brass does not give a false reading, and naturally this procedure must be repeated for each wheel. I have been using this method for almost 20 years and I have yet to be passed by one of my own wheels while driving. This works on both the near and off side knockons.

BTW I imagine that ambient temperature may have some affect upon the readings I get and the relative force being applied but I have not yet factored it into my calculations.

Amazing the things we do -- because we can!

 

[HealeyRick]

I use an all-lead hammer from American Hammers (also sold by Moss) - available in various weights. No distortion.

Me too: https://americanhammer.com/lead-hammer/ And when it gets too bunged up you can send it back to them to be recast. I use the 6 pounder.

 

[dancrim]

How do you expect to hold the wheel from turning when using a tool? I always thought you
were supposed to tighten the knockoff with the tire off the ground. Thus the hammers.

 

[BJ8Healeys]

I also don't think a torque wrench is necessary unless you just want to go through an interesting engineering and manufacturing exercise. The knockoffs should always be tightened initially with the wheel off the ground to make sure the knockoff and wheel cones stay centered. The wire wheel and knockoff are designed to self-tighten as you drive (see "Rudge-Whitworth" at wikipedia), and I proved that to myself long ago by making "witness" marks on the knockoff and wheel hub. The marks ALWAYS move apart from each other in the tightening direction after driving a distance and I have never had a knockoff loosen in 33 years of Healeying.

A friend did report a problem to me with one of his knockoffs becoming loose frequently and he could always tell by the clicking sound from the wheel. I watched him tighten the knockoff and he was doing it with the wheel on the ground. When I told him to jack up the wheel and do it, he has not had the problem since.

My technique is to tighten the knockoff with the wheel off the ground by whacking it with the lead hammer buffered by a piece of wood. That avoids marring the knockoff as well as beating the hammer out of shape. I've been using the same lead hammer for 20 years or so now, although I have gone through a cord of wood. I whack until I don't see the knockoff move, then lower the wheel to the ground enough that it won't move when I whack the knockoff again a couple medium whacks (a "whack" is defined as proportional to the weight of the hammer times the speed of the head at impact, in case anyone asks). Then lower the wheel completely and Bob's your uncle.

 

[John Turney]

How do you expect to hold the wheel from turning when using a tool? I always thought you
were supposed to tighten the knockoff with the tire off the ground. Thus the hammers.

I hand tighten the knockoff with the wheel off the ground, then lower the wheel and tighten with the wrench.

 

[Bob_Spidell]

Just before starting to reinstall a wheel and attach the knockoff I carefully anneal the brass end of my original Thor 04-310BHP hammer so that when measured with a Shore durometer (using the ASTM D2240 type D scale) I get a reading of 60, thus establishing a pre-tightening baseline.

I then have at the knockoff with the Thor, carefully measuring the hardness of the brass face with the aforementioned instrument. When the durometer reading increases to 74-76 measured at the center of the brass face I stop whacking.

It is important that the initial measurement be performed within 15 minutes of the annealing so that thermal expansion/contraction of the brass does not give a false reading, and naturally this procedure must be repeated for each wheel. I have been using this method for almost 20 years and I have yet to be passed by one of my own wheels while driving. This works on both the near and off side knockons.

BTW I imagine that ambient temperature may have some affect upon the readings I get and the relative force being applied but I have not yet factored it into my calculations.

My sarcasm detector is lighting up ...