Replacing wheel studs (Page 1/1) sdgdf AUG 18, 02:38 PM When I bought my '88 coupe a few months ago it already had a broken stud on the drivers rear. A couple weeks ago when removing the wheel it snapped another stud, leaving only 3 on that side. So I need to replace them. I got the old ones out yesterday, 1 was a real pain, it was sheered off so close it was flush with the hub and couldn't use a c-clamp on it. I need to put the new ones in....I thought there'd be a gap there for putting studs in. There isn't. Old posts I find indicate I need to partially remove the hub. What's the deal with that? I remove the 30mm axle nut, replace it (where do I get a replacement?) and partially remove those 3 T-55 torx and pull the hub off just enough to slide the new studs in? I read that I have to be careful not to rotate the hub. Why? It'll end up in a different alignment with the splines on the axle? Do I have to re-pack wheel bearings or anything like that? css9450 AUG 18, 04:42 PM quote Originally posted by sdgdf: I read that I have to be careful not to rotate the hub. Why? It'll end up in a different alignment with the splines on the axle? I've never heard of that. I can't see why it would be a concern. You shouldn't need to extract the hub more than a little bit from the knuckle since you're just trying to gain some clearance behind it to slip the new stud in. New axle nuts are available..... You might have to try a place like NAPA if the more-common Autozone etc doesn't have it. Raydar AUG 22, 11:24 PM You can rotate the hubs. You just can't put any weight on them without the axle nuts tightened, like trying to move the car. They're pressed together and will come apart. sdgdf AUG 24, 12:41 AM quote Originally posted by Raydar: You can rotate the hubs. You just can't put any weight on them without the axle nuts tightened, like trying to move the car. They're pressed together and will come apart. Ok this makes sense, thanks. Australian AUG 24, 06:15 AM Anyone changing stud patterns? What size you looking at 114.3? Who makes cheapest 3 pieces? fierofool AUG 24, 08:21 AM If you buy yourself a cake of dry ice. Put it in your freezer and lay the new studs on it for 30 minutes to an hour, then using some very insulated gloves, you can easily insert the studs into the hub flange. You will need to remove the hub and place it face down on a solid surface so you can rotate it for clearance. It might be good to have a hammer and punch to fully set the studs into the flange. Work fast with only one stud from the freezer at a time. While you're in there, clean out the bore of the knuckle and the drain hole in the bottom of the bore. Use some bearing grease and smear the inside of the bore very lightly. This will help it shed any water that might be inside. When replacing the hub onto the knuckle, torque the 3 bolts to 65 ft-lb. Install the new axel nut, available from most auto parts stores. Turn a lug nut backward and put one on each new stud and tighten down with a lug wrench to fully seat the stud. You will want to check the studs again after a short drive. Remove the center cap from the wheel, install it onto the hub, and torque the axel nut to 75 ft lb with the wheel off the ground. Next, let the car down onto the wheel but don't roll the car. This is where the bearing damage can occur. Torque the axel nut to 200 ft-lb. Install the center cap.