Whats up with the reverse threads?

[mankypro]

Ok so my lug bolts are reverse threaded? Are everyone elses?


Pretty funny when you take a torque wrench to them

 

[zpd307]

say what! i have never seen that.

 

[The Warden]

The lug threads on my driver's side rear wheel are reverse thread. My passenger's side rear wheel, and both front wheels, are right-hand thread.

This was factory on Fords until '85, I believe...'85 and later trucks have right-hand thread on ALL lugs, but '84 and earlier trucks have the left-hand thread on the driver's rear. It was once believed that right-hand threaded lugs on wheels on the left side of the car would work loose over time due to rotational force....and that's since been disproven. I've seen older vehicles (mostly from the '60's and early '70's) that had left-hand thread on both left wheels, but my truck (and my old van, which was also an '84) are the only vehicles I've seen with left-hand thread lugs on the rear wheel only...

 

[zpd307]

how does that happen.

 

[The Warden]

how does that happen.

The idea of lugs coming loose at high speeds? As I said, it's since been disproven...

http://www.carcraft.com/images/ccrp_0607_junkyard_crawl_lefthand_lugs/index.html worth a read

From the article...

The engineering wisdom behind these "backward" wheel fasteners is no doubt based in the concept that inertia on the driver side of the vehicle could hypothetically act to loosen a conventional righthand fastener as the vehicle accelerates and brakes while moving forward. A similar strategy is employed on most bicycle pedals: the lefthand pedal and crank end having lefthand threads. Here it works great to keep the pedal from unscrewing while you ride and has contributed to a worldwide shortage of choirboys. But when it comes to cars, there are dubious benefits as proven by the fact that GM, and yes even Mopar, eventually abandoned the use of these wacky fasteners.

 

[zpd307]

so what you are saying is that someone decided to change the wheel bolts and lugs to reverse thread. or did the factory roll some these off the line. if they were mix matched, i would think it would be a pain to keep them straight. sorry, i reread and realized i didnt read the entir thing.

 

[suv7734]

The last I saw of this was in the early 80's and the left hand threads were on the passenger's side and the right hand threads were on the driver's side (IE you had to turn the passenger's side backwards to loosen the nut). Of the ones I've seen if you have a mix of threads on one side of the vehicle I would think something is not right.

 

[david85]

Well, the 1980s was the era of "experimentation". I'm just glad my truck has 4 tires and a steering wheel when you consider what regulators or auto engineers must have been on back then How else could you explain some of the crazy things they inflicted on cars back then?

All RH thread on mine

 

[typ4]

suv7734

I bet someone has swapped the right and left hubs, the left hand threads were always on the driver side, I have owned lots of old dodges and they were this way till the early 70's

 

[6 Nebraska IDIs]

All of our 83's had left hand thread on the drivers rear until I changed them. Its dangerous in my opinion to have them that way. My grandpas truck had them on it and an unknowing mechanic spun all of them in the hub and we had to torch the lugs off to get the wheel off. So when I bought both of my 83's I changed them right away.

 

[suv7734]

suv7734

I bet someone has swapped the right and left hubs, the left hand threads were always on the driver side, I have owned lots of old dodges and they were this way till the early 70's

You are so right! Once again I forgot to look at my special sneakers with the left and right markings on the toes

The brake pedal is still in the middle isn't it?

 

[GenLightening]

The lefties should have been on the drivers side only. When I worked at a tire shop, there was always someone snapping the leftie lugs off with the air gun. I can spot them easily, but most of the guys there could barely tie their own shoes! We would replace them with standard thread studs.

 

[mankypro]

My torque wrench broke right after I switched to the driver's side on the first nut. So is the front driver's side going to be left threaded too?

 

[mankypro]

My manual say 150-175 ft lbs - does this sound right to you folks?

 

[GenLightening]

My torque wrench broke right after I switched to the driver's side on the first nut. So is the front driver's side going to be left threaded too?

Just look at the threads that are sticking out past the nut, if they look the same as the right rear then they're lefties. Maybe someone rebuilt the rearend and swapped the axles left for right?