Knock Off Question

[Joel T.]

Hi All;

I run a set of repro knock-offs on my 1963... I have also had occasion to remove and install the wheels with the car up in the air. A while back, I bought one of those KO wrenches which I use along with a hand sledge... all in al this works well.

Question... when I do this (install or remove a wheel) particularly the rear, will I do any damage by fully loosening or tightening the hub with the wheel off the ground. I've been thinking about it and doing it this way can't be good for suspension parts, bearings, etc.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Joel

[Jim L.]

Re: Knock Off Question

I have also had occasion to remove and install the wheels with the car up in the air.

Question... when I do this (install or remove a wheel) particularly the rear, will I do any damage by fully loosening or tightening the hub with the wheel off the ground. I've been thinking about it and doing it this way can't be good for suspension parts, bearings, etc.

What you are asking is probably unanswerable with any degree of certainty. However, my concern is the same as yours when I tighten or loosen the KOs on my bride's track car (visible in my avatar).

What I always do is loosen the spinners slightly before lifting the car and tighten them with "love taps" from a dead blow hammer before setting the car back on its wheels. Once down on its wheels, I use significantly more violent means to get the spinners really tight.

I'm comfortable with this process as it relates to stressing the suspension (or not).

Jim

[Bill M.]

Re: Knock Off Question

Compare what you're doing with what the car is designed to handle. You're applying both a torque and a vertical load. Compare the torque you're applying to dumping the clutch. Compare the vertical load to running through a chuckhole.

[Duke W.]

Re: Knock Off Question

I would always tighten/loosen the nuts with weight on the wheel. If no weight is on the wheel the shock from the hammer blows is likely to be absorbed by bushing flex, which will not give you the same amount of torque for the force of the blow.

Initial tightening can be done without weight on the wheel, but the final tightening should be done with full vehicle weight,and initial untightening should be done with full weight on the wheel.

Duke

[Jack H.]

Re: Knock Off Question

I agree with Duke, final torque & initial de-torque should be done with body weight on the wheels. Plus, the Corvette Shop Manual describes the 'correct' final torque process which is ITERATIVE...

"Caution: Tighten wheel locking nuts every 100 miles for the first 500 miles by striking the wings eight hard blows with hammer"

Also, the lead hammer supplied with the factory original optional KO wheels was intended as a roadside emergency tool and not for general shop use! The lead will 'spread' with repeated use getting you down to the center steel of the hammer which will eventually BITE into your spinners resulting in scars + damage.

Buy a general purpose dead blow hammer for routine shop use and leave the factory original lead hammer with your jack in the car for that bona fide emergency need....

[Joel T.]

Re: Knock Off Question

Thanks guys!! As always great advice which is much appreciated!

Joel

[William L.]

Re: Knock Off Question

My question is how did they tighten the them on the assembly line, the assembly manual calls for "450 lbs ft of torque"? Maybe John Hinckley or Michael Hanson knows how they were installed in the factory.

Bill

[Alan D.]

Re: Knock Off Question

Mark the cone and spinner and check for any movement - just in case.
Yes done correctly as mentioned they should be good to go, however I'm still paranoid

[Jack H.]

Re: Knock Off Question

Search the archives... John already made a post on this stating the factory had a special tool to torque down KO wheels!

[William L.]

Re: Knock Off Question

Search the archives... John already made a post on this stating the factory had a special tool to torque down KO wheels!

Thanks Jack.I did not know that.

[John H.]

Re: Knock Off Question

My question is how did they tighten the them on the assembly line, the assembly manual calls for "450 lbs ft of torque"? Maybe John Hinckley or Michael Hanson knows how they were installed in the factory.

Bill

Bill -

There was a pair of overhead balancer-suspended Ingersoll-Rand 1" drive air impact guns with specially-fabricated sockets configured for the spinners; they generated the 450 ft-lbs. with no problem.

[Michael H.]

Re: Knock Off Question

I would always tighten/loosen the nuts with weight on the wheel. If no weight is on the wheel the shock from the hammer blows is likely to be absorbed by bushing flex, which will not give you the same amount of torque for the force of the blow.

Initial tightening can be done without weight on the wheel, but the final tightening should be done with full vehicle weight,and initial untightening should be done with full weight on the wheel.

Duke

I always raised the car enough to take most of the weight off the wheel/tire but not enough to allow the wheel to turn when I'm using the hammer. That way, friction at the tapered seat of the wheel/spinner isn't a factor in the torque.

Also, The shock absorber is the limiting factor for down/rebound travel of the suspension in the rear so all that hammering on what ever it is inside the shock probably isn't doing it any good.

Dead blow hammers do NOT apply much force, at all. I wouldn't use it on my KO wheels.