Learn something new every day

JRSutton · Jan 16, 2014

for instance: '47 Ford trucks have left hand lug nuts on the left side.

... learned the hard way. They were tough to strip, but I'm proud to say we managed.

Never in a million years would I have thought to even check the direction of the threads.

MAYBE would have considered it if we hadn't already taken off the right side which came off just fine)

oldtanker · Jan 16, 2014

(quoted from post at 09:24:40 01/16/14) for instance: '47 Ford trucks have left hand lug nuts on the left side.

... learned the hard way. They were tough to strip, but I'm proud to say we managed.

Never in a million years would I have thought to even check the direction of the threads.

MAYBE would have considered it if we hadn't already taken off the right side which came off just fine)

Lot of older vehicles were set up that way.

Rick

Mike (WA) · Jan 16, 2014

50's Olds and Pontiacs were that way, probably others as well.

k6zrx · Jan 16, 2014

Chrysler products until the late 60's were that way.

Josh

rrlund · Jan 16, 2014

I bought an 83 Ford F250 for parts that had left handed threads on one side of the rear end. It had good tires and I wanted them off,ended up torching the lug nuts before I figured it out.
When I ordered the dual wheel adapters for my 85 from JC Whitney they asked of one side was left handed. Told me to make darned sure because they wouldn't take them back. Those were right handed on both sides.

Russ from MN · Jan 16, 2014

I think that was a carryover from the days when there was one nut on an axle to hold the wheel on. about 1960 they realized that the wheels weren't falling off the brands that didn't do it, and gave it up!

Brendon Warren · Jan 16, 2014

My old camper's that way! Don't ask me how I know.

JRSutton · Jan 16, 2014

rr - thanks - I knew many others knew this, but it's nice to know I'm not the ONLY one who didn't!

But I'm surprised to hear Chrysler had it into the late 60's.

I haven't worked on a lot of pre-60's stuff, but certainly plenty of late 60's vehicles.

That's funny. I can't imagine how I could have gotten this far in life without hitting it before.

Dr. Walt · Jan 16, 2014

JR, that kind of shoots the heck out of the old saying: "Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey".

Greg K · Jan 16, 2014

My 72 Plymouth duster had that on the one side. I updated things and now I don't need to remember that.

in-too-deep · Jan 16, 2014

'59 IH Pickup has 'em. Don't know about the '68.

Iowa Barber · Jan 16, 2014

Was it not marked on the wheel stud [L] ? Just wondering. Brian

randy hall · Jan 16, 2014

my 1980 f-350 4x4 had one rear wheel with left hand threads. the front were both right hand.

tomturkey · Jan 16, 2014

Had a 60's Valiant. The ends of the lug nut studs were marked L&R. One thing I've come to realize is that for every new thing I learn I've forgotten a couple. lol gobble

Iowa Barber · Jan 16, 2014

Was it marked on the wheel stud {L}? Just wondering. Brian

paul · Jan 16, 2014

Even mid 1970s Ford grain trucks have that.

At least the lugs are big enough they didnt strip as I got myself educated......

Paul

Iowa Barber · Jan 16, 2014

Sorry for the double post, must be slow today. Brian

Ken-Pa · Jan 16, 2014

In the late 60s I had a nice old 1956 Dodge 1/2 ton pickup . Left side lug nuts were also left hand thread . Finding some replacement left handed wheel lugs & nuts wasn't easy . And the individual wheel cylinders were made of quality material & rebuildable .I still have some cylinders & rebuild parts . That liitle Dodge with a 318 engine in it was a sweet little ride . Even in 3rd gear the tires would smoke God bles , Ken

caseyc · Jan 16, 2014

Had a trailer a few years back like that. Went to freshen up the bearings and tires. Couldn't get the left side off for anything. Long bar, heat, nothing. Sometimes works to try to tighten before loosen so I went to tighten and fell on my face as they came loose real quick! Lesson learned.

Casey in SD

JayinNY · Jan 16, 2014

Same for my dads 82 f250!I think it was the drivers side rear tire.

Mike M · Jan 16, 2014

Not even real old ones. I like the others have a 1981 F350 and it has LH threads on either the frt or rear I can never remember until I try and get them off !

omahagreg · Jan 16, 2014

Dads 1970 Plymouth Fury III had lefties on left side!

Anonymous-0 · Jan 16, 2014

I'm a little older and learned that the hard way years ago but a little OT, plow bolts on a Ford plow is LH. I bought some items at an auction and a whole box of those nuts were in in the lot. I took them to a few neighbors and put a few in their bolt bins. I was going to tell them some day, now I'm afraid to!

Geo-TH,In · Jan 16, 2014

I learn something new everyday, but can't remember it tomorrow. I meet more new and interesting people every day.

hd6gtom · Jan 16, 2014

you will also find some on the 80's ford pickups had them on the left rear wheel

hoof print · Jan 16, 2014

Yes, the studs were marked "L" or "R" on the ends. Lots of old Chrysler products had Left hand threads on the one side.

IlliniJohn · Jan 16, 2014

So did my 1955 R110 International.

Owen Aaland · Jan 16, 2014

I don't remember now what piece of equipment I was working on but all the wheel studs on both sides had an L on the end. After checking them out they were all right hand thread. I figured the L must have been a company brand stamping.

Ron Anderson · Jan 16, 2014

I had a 64 dodge Dart that had different direction on each side.

JRSutton · Jan 16, 2014

I drive an 88 ford truck - glad they didn't do it on mine - I'd have killed those too.

Harold Hubbard · Jan 16, 2014

In the winter of 1970-71 I was just out of college and living at home. Some friends invited me to some sort of art show at a nearby college. "They are serving free champagne". On the way there, in a snowstorm, we had a flat on my friend's old International Travelall. We got it jacked up, and I watched him put a quarter turn in the shaft of his 4-way wrench. About that time I shined the flashlight on the end of the wheel lug and showed him the L stamped into it. Fortunately he hadn't over tightened or stripped any of the nuts, and they did all come off.

Duner Wi · Jan 16, 2014

Close as I can tell only Ford trucks with 3/4 by 16 TPI 1928-47 had the left hand threads on Left side. Cars and light commercial had 1/2 inch bolts and RH threads both sides.

JRSutton · Jan 16, 2014

yes they were marked with an L.

Meant nothing to me at the time though!

This is really amazing me that so many later models had these and I've never seen it.

Not a mechanic, but I've work on more cars than the average guy, and I've simply never seen it or even heard about it before.

... kinda makes me wonder what ELSE I've never seen!

PJH · Jan 16, 2014

Argh - When I was a young man, I had a Dodge 3/4 ton work truck. Boss and I rushed out the door to jump in that old truck and go and a front tire was flat. I had a speedy tripod jack and a big 4 way lug wrench and I grabbed the lug wrench and snapped the first lug bolt right off. Dang! Stuck the wrench on another one and snapped it off! DANG! Snapped off number three, then noticed the little "L" in the center of the lug bolt. Aw shucks - they're left handed threads! I heard a kinda strangling noise behind me, and looked around to see the boss laughing so hard he couldn't breath. He actually got down on the ground, holding his sides and making a funny gurgling noise. I felt like killing him. It took him a long time to forget those lug bolts, and he told the story to everybody he met. For a long time, my nickname was lugnut.

JRSutton · Jan 16, 2014

Now you've really got me thinking -

Oddly enough - the first lug stud I ever snapped was on a 72 Plymouth fury - I was probably about 13 at the time.

... I remember doing it like it was yesterday - and I remember replacing it. But I don't remember who finished taking the wheel off after I did it - or put it back on.

Thinking maybe my father got p'd off and finished removing the wheel for me.

It WAS the front left...

Was I turning it the wrong way???

IS it HIS fault I don't know about left hand lugs???

flembo · Jan 16, 2014

My 47 Buick was that way

John B. · Jan 16, 2014

The old Dodge Darts had left hand threads on the lug bolts on the left side (driver's side).

old-9 · Jan 16, 2014

I ran into that when I had that government job back in the 60's. Army two and a half ton trucks had left hand threads on one side. I helped change one front wheel that had some right and some left hand threads on the same wheel. Never forget that.
Reminded me of a second Lt. we had. The duty truck returned from a run for replacement parts, reported to Lt. for his signature ( top secret radar parts). The Lt. noticed that the 2 1/2 ton truck only had one tire on rear. ( tandem axle duels) He had a fit ordered them to get another truck and track down the tire fearing it had came off on the road. When the driver told him the tire was in the bed, as they had a flat on front and bad spare they just made do.
Our fine officer had a fit and was going to file charges on them, that is until the Captain changed "his" mind.
By the way the total load in the truck was about 20 pounds plus the two men.
joe

JRSutton · Jan 16, 2014

You just answered my next question.

seen left threads on plenty of shafts for that reason.

Couldn't figure out how that direction of travel would effect lug nuts that are off center -

what you say makes good sense - you're probably right.

donjr · Jan 16, 2014

Back many years ago,when I was just a tad and still had gills,I borrowed a friends trailer to pick rocks out of a field. It was a heavy duty rig, made from the frame of an old Mack. Well, as luck wold have it (plus a healthy dose of too much stone), it blew an inside tire. We took it down to the shop and stuck a wrench on it, but, it wouldn't budge. So, we tried heating the lugs. No dice. So, in my best of mind, I borrowed a 1" drive impact gun from another friend, complete with sockets. After the third or fourth snap off, we just took a heat wrench to it and burned the rest of the lug bolts of, after deciding we had to replace most of them anyway. New bolts, a new used tire, and Bunk got it back, even better for the wear. Told him about the tire, and the troubled we had getting the lug bolts off. He asked if we knew it was a Dodge truck rear. Guess I learned a lot in a short time that day.....

GordoSD · Jan 16, 2014

My 68 Barracuda is "lefty tighty" on the driver's side.

Ted in NE-OH · Jan 16, 2014

I remember seeing studs with the letter "L" stamped on the end.

T in NE · Jan 16, 2014

That's your own fault for not spending $15 to update them to match the rest of the world.

howdy1960 · Jan 16, 2014

Reason for the left hand threads on left side (according to the mopar mechanic I grew up with [aka stepfather]) they figured by driving down the road the nuts were more apt to tighten up verses come loose. I too have encountered them on very early 70s mopar products, namely my 72 chrysler newport. when I needed to work on a 85 w100 I double checked just to be sure.
just my .02
Norm

Anonymous-0 · Jan 17, 2014

And when the stud is glowing red, the L appears to float, in black color, right before your eyes!

Bret4207 · Jan 17, 2014

(quoted from post at 11:37:07 01/16/14) I learn something new everyday, but can't remember it tomorrow. I meet more new and interesting people every day.

HAR! Boy, ain't that the truth!!! I remember stuff that happened 40 years back like it was 2 minutes ago, but did I remember to do what my wife asked this AM? Nope!!!!

Phlash in OK · Jan 17, 2014

the front hubs can be switched also, I,ve seem that on an old Dodge pickup.

Anonymous-0 · Jan 17, 2014

I think you learned something OLD...it was just new to YOU.

IH, Ford, Chrysler, Studebaker, and Hudson/Nash/Rambler/AMC all used LH threaded studs on the left side of vehicles at one time or another. My dad and grand-dad ran an IH and Hudson dealership when I was a kid, so I learned about this stuff long before I ever started driving...OR changing wheels and tires.

greygoat · Jan 17, 2014

1965 International "Scout", had them, but were
marked "L", on the stud !

Learn something new every day

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Member

Well-known Member

Well-known Member

Similar threads