Here's a good laugh for you guys, on me!!

[jayfire]

I am new to the Mopar seen. Mostly been working on GM stuff. Had a few camaros, firebirds, corvettes and chevelles. Now I have a 67 GTX and two 68 GTX's. Now for the funny part, you want to know how to ruin two wheels, studs and everything else down there??? Try using cold chisels, plasma cutter and finally a torch to cut the damn lugs nuts off, when simply you did not know that the drivers side had left handed lugs:violent1: I loaded the 67 up on the trailer and took it to the shop at work and totally fubared the front ds wheel. Then did the same with one of my 68's. It wasn't until the last lug nut on the 68 where I accidentlly had the ratchet going the wrong way and.....poof, the lug nut loosened right off! Now I feel like such an idiot. I just had to share. Thanks

 

[Redhorse719]

Just don't let it happen again! Post some pictures of all the GTX's.

By the way I didn't laugh, it was to painful just thinking about it.

 

[SublimeSixpack]

Jayfire, I have to admit I chuckled when I read your post. But it sounds as though you took it all in stride. Don't feel too bad, we all learn the hard way at one time or another. Thanks for sharing your experience. And the chuckle!:grin:

 

[monroegtx]

I'm hearing ya. When I first got my GTX I hadn't had any experience at all with left hand threads, and at that stage didn't know much about mopars at all. I was about to ask a mate to borrow his rattle gun when I did the same as you, and voila, off she came. I had to have a decent laugh at my own expense as well.

 

[Hemi Rebel]

Too many dudes have been burned by the left hand threaded lugnuts

 

[Coyoteduster]

Welcome to the other side, let's see some pic's.

... and always remember, "Righty Tighty, Lefty Tighty Too." :headbang:

 

[conv67bdere]

Thanks for the story . . . that has never happened to me ( uh, this week ) . . . ( sigh ) . . . live and learn . . . ( smile )

 

[khryslerkid]

Well at least you didn't have your ratchet set wrong and twisted off studs on the passenger side! Hang in there...

 

[zyzzyx]

Reminds me of back in the early Seventies when I twisted the lug nuts off of the driver's side front wheel of a '68 Camaro we were racing! Ha! Go figure.

 

[HawkRod]

I've NEVER done anything stupid on my cars...


:BSMeter: .

 

[Riverdawg]

Welcome, let's see some pics. Found out the same thing with my lugnuts this summer. Then I found out my car have 3 left's and 1 right... or was it 3 right's and a left. Can't even remember that now. LOL.

 

[Brandy]

How bad is this?

Hey, I did the same thing in 1974 to my uncles 68 Charger R/T. Just did it again last month to my own car. Old people..the memory is the first thing to go,...I think.

 

[Deleted member 214]

I used to love taking my 66 Satellite to the shop for tire rotations and changes. I always got at least one new stud as the kids they hired would break one off until one of the old guys gave'em a dope slap on the back of the head and explained the mysteries of Mopars.

 

[mopar 3 B]

If you run open lugnuts check for the L on the end of the stud left hand thread. I changed my 68 to right hand threads when I went to caped nuts. Got tired of the tire shops stripping nuts, studs and breaking them off. Now I just take the wheels in. To many out there that do not give a D** just get it done fast.

 

[Cranky]

Y'all might be surprised at how many of the older techs at the dealerships back then that did the same thing! I had heard about Mopars having left handed studs and so the first time to change a tire on a 66 Belvedere went well. The funniest story so far was when a machinist at work broke 5 of the 8 studs off of a motor home before even thinking about looking at why it was happening....and he did it with a truck style 4 way lug wrench!! Don't remember how big they were but they were small lol.

 

[WileE]

My episode doing this happened 45 years ago. After breaking a stud and fighting the next, the head mechanic, while enjoying my futility, comes over & calmly says to turn it the other way. Embarrassing moments are never forgotten.

 

[mopar12372]

yea been there . haha wait until a mopar guy tries to remove the rims from a car thats been changed over to right hand threads . in high school we cut a rim off a road runner thinking it was fused together then replaced the wheel studs thinking some idiot out cheap china crap on the car ans was piss about it thinkinghow smart we where !!:tongue3:

 

[Cranky]

In 74 I bought a 72 Challenger and found out it had been wrecked on the left front after I tried to change a flat tire and turned the 'left handed' lug nuts in the proper rotation and broke one. Couldn't see the studs because it had ralley wheels and the nuts were not open ended. So tried turning the others to the left and they came right off. Someone replaced the brake rotor with one that had right handed studs and that made me look deeper into why and found where damage was done to the car in wreck. That taught me to look at cars much harder lol

 

[PolaraLover64]

Im 18 (and a girl) and had to take my back left tire off of my 64 Polara to patch it up and i was trying to take the lug nuts off and i couldn't so i said "hey dad i can't get this one off. Can you help." So he comes over and tries to get them off and is unsuccessful. Then he looks at me and says, "you know what? I forgot that these have to be turned to the left! I hadn't dealt with Mopar tires in such a long time i totally forgot all about that!" So from that day on i have learned and remembered that little quirk that Mopar's have.

 

[Cranky]

Im 18 (and a girl) and had to take my back left tire off of my 64 Polara to patch it up and i was trying to take the lug nuts off and i couldn't so i said "hey dad i can't get this one off. Can you help." So he comes over and tries to get them off and is unsuccessful. Then he looks at me and says, "you know what? I forgot that these have to be turned to the left! I hadn't dealt with Mopar tires in such a long time i totally forgot all about that!" So from that day on i have learned and remembered that little quirk that Mopar's have.

Another problem is that a lot of these cars have been changed to right hand studs. Heck, my 72 Challenger was changed before I bought it in 74! Also they get changed when someone installed custom wheels and lug nuts. Have you tried to buy any chrome aftermarket nuts for them lately? Probably won't find any.