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Left handed lug nuts

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Kelly Looper

Left handed lug nuts

I found only one older post on this forum with the topic of left hand threads on some rear HD truck axle lug nuts. However, my inquiry is this, along with the 1 post here on B N E I have also seen several post on different Facebook Bullnose groups that have brought up this subject, and every post that I've seen refers to the left handed lugs being on the left side or drivers side, well mine are not, they are on the right rear or passenger side. I first became aware of this issue when I first bought my truck about four or five years ago while I was at Discount Tire having new tires installed, as the young man started to remove my right/passenger side rear tire I was standing right there watching him & the lug nut was not loosening with the impact, thank goodness he did not twist it off & within a couple of seconds and older man came running over to him yelling "STOP YOUR GOING TO BREAK THEM OFF", he told the young man to put his impact in forward because a lot of the older Ford and Dodge's used left-handed threads on the RIGHT rear axle, so the young man proceeded to do as he was instructed and the lug nuts came right off. So If My truck has them on the right or passenger side why do all the posts I see referring to this subject say that they are finding them on the left or driver side?

TRK#1-1884 F350 Crew cab 4.9/300 T-19 Base Trk, Originally Propane, Currently running on an old Affordable Fuel Injection TBI.

TRK#2-1985 F150 5.0 EFI AOD 4X4 XLT Lariat Mfg Date 7-85

Gary Lewis

Re: Left handed lug nuts

Administrator

I'll copy/paste my reply from your previous post:

I think someone swapped axles left/right at some point in time. But I'm not sure that the axles are the same length, so that may not be possible and I may be all wet.

From everything I've read the left-handed lug nuts were always used on the left side of the vehicle, and the theory was that hard braking would tend to tighten the nut. Chrysler used left-handed lugs on many, if not all, of their vehicles at least as late as '69, and Ford did on some of the trucks into the early 80's.

You can buy replacement lugs, and I think there's enough room behind the axle to drive the lugs out and replace them. However, that may be very difficult on your truck as I think it is a lot of work to get the brake drum off on your truck. So I'd just wait to do that until brake job time when you are going to be in there anyway.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Dad's: '81 F150 Ranger XLT 4x4: Down for restomod: Full-roller "stroked 351M" w/Trick Flow heads & intake, EEC-V SEFI/E4OD/3.50 gears w/Kevlar clutches
Blue: 2015 F150 Platinum 4x4 SuperCrew wearing Blue Jeans & sporting a 3.5L EB & Max Tow
Big Blue: 1985 F250HD 4x4: 460/ZF5/3.55's, D60 w/Ox locker & 10.25 Sterling/Trutrac, Blue Top & Borgeson, & EEC-V MAF/SEFI

85lebaront2

Re: Left handed lug nuts

Administrator

Gary, probably not the axles, but the hub and drum assemblies. Not an impossible scenario if they were off for previous work that involved possibly turning the drums. If someone wasn't aware of the difference, they could easily have been installed on the wrong side.

I well remember the Chrysler products with wheel bolts that were right and left hand thread (also our Packard). Both of these had the optional Kelsey-Hayes wire wheels.

Bill AKA "LOBO" Profile

"Getting old is inevitable, growing up is optional" Darth Vader 1986 F350 460 converted to MAF/SEFI, E4OD 12X3 1/2 rear brakes, traction loc 3:55 gear, 160 amp 3G alternator Wife's 2011 Flex Limited Daily Driver 2009 Flex Limited with factory tow package Project car 1986 Chrysler LeBaron convertible 2.2L Turbo II, modified A413

Gary Lewis

Re: Left handed lug nuts

Administrator

So the brake drums have the lugs?

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Nothing Special

Re: Left handed lug nuts

Assuming this is a full-floating axle it's probably the hubs.

The axle shafts will just have a relatively small dia flange on the end to bolt to the hub (the eight bolts on about a 4" circle that you don't need to remove to change a tire).

I think on a Sterling axle the brake drum is just sandwiched between the wheel and the hub with the lug studs pressed into the hub flange.

On a Dana axle (likely what he has) I think you have to take the hub off (by removing the wheel bearings like you do on a front axle) to get the brake drum off. So I'm not sure where the studs are mounted. I'd guess they're still pressed into the hub flange, but maybe they're also a press fit into the drum?

Regardless, like Bill said, the hub / drum will be interchangeable between the left and right, so would be easy to get reversed.

Bob
Sorry, no '80 - '86 Ford trucks
"Oswald": 1997 F-250HD crew cab short box, 460, E4OD, 4.10 gears
"Pluto": 1971 Bronco, 302, NV3550 5 speed, Atlas 4.3:1 transfer case, 33" tires
"the motorhome": 2015 E-450-based 28' class C motorhome, 6.8L V-10
"the Dodge": 2007 Dodge 2500, 6.7L Cummins

Gary Lewis

Re: Left handed lug nuts

Administrator

Good to know. Thanks.

Gary, AKA "Gary fellow": Profile

Kelly Looper

Re: Left handed lug nuts

In reply to this post by Gary Lewis

And the story that I heard for the reason for doing it was because they thought that the torque & pressure put on the right side of the wheel along with the forward rotation of the wheel could actually loosen the lug nuts so by reversing the threads the forward rotation would actually tighten the lugs instead of loosening them, I've heard that by several ole timers.

TRK#1-1884 F350 Crew cab 4.9/300 T-19 Base Trk, Originally Propane, Currently running on an old Affordable Fuel Injection TBI.

TRK#2-1985 F150 5.0 EFI AOD 4X4 XLT Lariat Mfg Date 7-85

Kelly Looper

Re: Left handed lug nuts

In reply to this post by Gary Lewis

Yes it is a Dana 61 0r 62, cant remember exactly which at the moment. I actually have a Sterling 10.25 w/ 3L73 that I'm planning on swapping in at some point so I'm just letting it ride for now. LOL

TRK#1-1884 F350 Crew cab 4.9/300 T-19 Base Trk, Originally Propane, Currently running on an old Affordable Fuel Injection TBI.

TRK#2-1985 F150 5.0 EFI AOD 4X4 XLT Lariat Mfg Date 7-85

ArdWrknTrk

Re: Left handed lug nuts

Administrator

In reply to this post by Kelly Looper

Left lugs left side.
There's another member (Alex) that has a D61 here in Connecticut that is that way.

This is also true of Jeeps and other military vehicles right up into the 1980's, and older cars with knockoff hubs (like my uncle's 1966 Ferrari) for obvious reasons.

I've never seen or heard of LH studs on the right side before. It makes no sense.

Jim,
Lil'Red is a '87 F250 HD, 4.10's, 1356 4x4, Zf-5, 3G, PMGR, Saginaw PS, desmogged with a Holley 80508 and Performer intake.
Too much other stuff to mention.

Nothing Special

Re: Left handed lug nuts

ArdWrknTrk wrote

.... I've never seen or heard of LH studs on the right side before. It makes no sense.

Maybe on a dragster that accelerates harder than it brakes??? But seriously, yes, left hand threads would've only been on the left side from any factory, so if they are on the right side now they were incorrectly switched at some point.

But when you look at how often wheels come off on the left side now that they all have right hand threads I don't think having left hand threads on the right side is much of a risk either (other than breaking a stud when trying to remove them...)

Kelly Looper

Re: Left handed lug nuts

Gotcha, thanks for your input. That's no doubt what happened then.

TRK#1-1884 F350 Crew cab 4.9/300 T-19 Base Trk, Originally Propane, Currently running on an old Affordable Fuel Injection TBI.

TRK#2-1985 F150 5.0 EFI AOD 4X4 XLT Lariat Mfg Date 7-85

BigBrother-84

Re: Left handed lug nuts

In reply to this post by Nothing Special

Nothing Special wrote

Maybe on a dragster that accelerates harder than it brakes???

Jeff / 1984 F350 Crew Cab 4x4/5.8L w351 4V/ T18/ D50 4.10 front/ 8' bed.
Restored 2019-2022.
Nicknamed «Big Brother 1984», due to its soooo-looong shape & nod to George Orwell's 1984 famous novel.

Kelly Looper

Re: Left handed lug nuts

In reply to this post by ArdWrknTrk

Like someone said, may have been you, at some point someone had to have switched the axles accidentally. It's just odd that the older fella at Discount Tire came running over to the young man that was trying to remove my right rear tire and yelling STOP YOUR going to break it off! Then he proceeded to tell us about the LH threads. But I'm sure you know a lot more about it than I do. I'm going to be switching it out anyways at some point.

TRK#1-1884 F350 Crew cab 4.9/300 T-19 Base Trk, Originally Propane, Currently running on an old Affordable Fuel Injection TBI.

TRK#2-1985 F150 5.0 EFI AOD 4X4 XLT Lariat Mfg Date 7-85