The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Driveline Broken Stud

Bought new WW for my ‘47 3100..AD. When I went to pick up the truck after the install, the mechanic broke a stud on the rear axel ....too much torque on the pneumatic wrench. Grrrrrr. Silent bad words to myself.
Got a replacement stud and was going to take the vehicle back to them as they did offer to install the stud for free. That was fair. I did take the hub off planning
G to bring the drum to them, install the stud, bring the drm Home, readjust the brakes and go happily on. WRONG.....didn’t realize/know the stud was on the axel, not the hub.
Research here found others have had similar experiences. What I’m not looking forward to is pulling the axel to replace the stud or using the puller suggested to press out/install the new on. I’ll have to buy the tool. Short term I may drive with one less stud, but there’s a reason they originally had 6.
Another day in the life of an old truck.
Learned a lesson though.......NO pneumatic tools will ever tighten my lugs EVER!

Jim;

It's a simple DIY job. All you need is a heavy hammer and maybe a drift punch if the stud is broken off flush/short. Check it out Tech Tip - Stud Replacement

SimS

Good link and tech tip Sim.
Replacing wheel studs is no big deal.
The shop that broke the stud should know better and replaced it right then.
I'd be looking for a new shop.

Don

Interesting Tech Tip - Question I have is this , so you do not take a chance damaging the wheel bearings / races by using a 5 Lb hammer to drive the studs out ?

Replace EVERY stud that got abused by the air wrench. Where are you going to be (and traveling at what speed?) when the rest of them decide to shear off? DO NOT try to use the lug nut to pull the new studs into place- - - -a ball joint press or a big C-clamp over a deep socket is the right way to install them. The really right way is to remove the axles and hubs and do it in a hydraulic press. You're betting your life on those studs every time you drive, plus you're putting the rest of us who share the road at risk when (not if) a wheel decides to run off.
Jerry

Good points Jerry.
Once a bolt is over torqued/stretched, it's shear factor is lowered and weakened.

Don

I broke a bolt in my head. I hired a welder to put a nut on the stud. While it was still warm, we unscrewed the stud. Just a thought. Saved me a ton of time and money!

Chris

Chris,

Wheel studs are pressed into the axle, not screwed...your trick is a good one, but it won't work here.

Mike B

I got lucky .My rim was worn and when towing my truck when I purchased my truck the wheel came off.It happened on a corner by a tire shop and a fort ignition in Carmen Manitoba. The studs came out without having to take the axle out and the new ones were pressed in by using the lug nuts and a few washers.

Many comments on this problem.....all excellent points.
Gee all of these comments have me seriously thinking about safety. Hot rod Lincoln and 2-Tons comments are especially eye opening. When I think of all lugnuts being pneumatically torqued, I wonder about the stress on the remaining studs. Change all studs is a serious option.
What mess this could be ugh. God Bless the ole manual lug wrench!!!! 😐

Most of these old stovebolts have 7/16-20 lug studs, not 1/2-20 lugs like more modern vehicles. The proper torque for a 7/16" stud is around 70-75 ft-lbs., not 100 or so for a 1/2" srud. An air wrench can exceed 70 pounds with one good rattle, and the stud is sitting there at or near its breaking point while you merrily ride along, unaware of the danger. Another thing- - - - -if 5 or 6 lugs are not torqued equally, the tightest one holds almost all the clamping force until it stretches or breaks- - - -then the next-tightest one takes over, etc. The remedy is to use a torque wrench to be sure all the studs are tightened equally. Try this- - - - -get 5 people to hold up a 400-lb. weight for a while. The 5 foot 3 guy won't be holding as much weight as the 6 foot 4 one, right? When the tall guy gets tired and lets go, the next-tallest one gets most of the load. The same idea applies to lug nuts!
Jerry

Good post Jerry, plus I like your analogy. The only time I use my impact is to take off the lug nuts.
Your right, most people vastly over tighten the fastener. 70 ft/lbs (7/16") is not a lot and it doesn't need to be any tighter. For some reason when it comes to lug nuts people think the tighter the better.