MTFCA Forum

Which is correct?

Small or large head? Full thread or shoulder?

Hex nuts are either slightly larger than 11/16"hex, square or exactly 11/16"hex.

The slightly larger nuts have a very slight crown.

These were either on the car when I got it or in boxes of parts.

For these I also ask to provide part #s in the event I'm ordering new

Thanks in advance

Also, we're split washers ever used?

Are you referring to the hub bolts ? No, lock washers on a T wheel.

Yes hub bolts

I believe the correct bolts have small high domed heads, the usual square section under the head, and plain shanks where they pass through the spokes.

Unlike hardware shop bolts with rolled threads, the originals are full 3/8" diameter in the plain section so the bolt is a good fit through the spokes.

When I dissemble old wheels, I grind off the peened over end of the bolts so the original nuts can be re used. Nobody reproduces them the correct size, and with the variations in the stamped originals.

Rear wheel bolts can be re used on the front wheels because they are longer to accommodate the brake drums on rear wheels.

Vintage Rims Australia advertises correct type bolts which are a little longer to suit Dodge wheels. They can be cut back to length for T rear wheels.

Hope this helps.
Allan from down under.

Thanks for the link and info. So the square nuts are wrong as are the large head bolts. Got it.

Allan,

You are correct, the real bolts have closer to a Bishops Mitre/High Dome shape to them in cross section and are full size shank before threads. Nuts of course have their own story as old nuts and new nuts tend to have different 'across flats' dimensions and sometimes even differing thicknesses but no one makes 'old nuts' for the most part.

As far as the carriage bolt...split washer...modern nut? Yeah, they exist. Old school way of jacking in a hub for a hub change! Mount them with those components, pull them up tighter than tight, cut off the real excess as it looks quite 'strange', go for a ride or two, retighten each time. Then get around to changing them out in-situ one at a time to the proper stuff. I'm pretty sure that the work involved with that methodology breaks a mean sweat (Been there, done that, sure does!) and somehow the part 2 may never get done...On one early car took me almost 2 years to get around to the more simple 'one bolt at a time' solution but I had to. As other points out, rolled threads won't 'bite' into the wood and all you have is clamping force only which is never a good idea...I imagine others taught this way maybe just said 'works' and left it for the next guy.