I thought I'd use the touring for my errands in town this morning. While checking my tires to be sure they were all 65 or better, I found this. I won't be driving this car anywhere until I tighten up that loose wheel.
Is that loose spoke wear showing too or spoke rot? A loose bolt(s) might indicate the spokes are rotting behind the hub and flange.
I don't know if there's any rot behind the flange, but there's certainly some spoke wear from looseness. I was able to tighten four of the nuts. The other two would turn all day with no effect. I backed the nut off one bolt and found this.
The other nut would neither tighten nor back off, so I had to grind it.
Grinding off some of the nut and the end of the bolt finally let the nut back off, and this is what I found there.
I had enough new nuts and bolts to assemble some new demountable wheels for this car, but it looks like I need to get some more.
I found some loose hub bolts and some loose rim bolts. They were not fitting correctly and look like they came from someone's junk drawer. I replaced them all. Better safe than sorry. Car tracks better too.
Neil
I have found a lot of wheels with loose bolts because they were not peened over when installed. The result is exactly what you found! Even when the bolts are peened over after years of driving they loosen up because the wood compresses. If you don't check them periodically and tighten them up and re-peen them the threads get worn. Those bolts are intentionally malleable so they can take the strain without braking but as a result they are soft and can also be easily stripped by over tightening. It's an important but often overlooked safety inspection item.