Tightening a Knock Off Spinner/Wheel?

[Davidb]

Unless you have 26R style wheels/hubs in which case it is the reverse! And causes questioning when wheels are tightened or removed with a group of classic car enthusiasts watching...

[1owner69Elan]

Unless you have 26R style wheels/hubs in which case it is the reverse! And causes questioning when wheels are tightened or removed with a group of classic car enthusiasts watching...

Not sure I understand what is being said in the above quote.

Yes the pins are on the 26r wheel instead of the hub but the central knockoff nut works like the regular Elan one, in how it mates to the wheel. So the same handing is used on the 26r as for the standard hubs/wheels, as far as I understand it.

Unless I have been wrong all along. And if so, why would it be different?

Also, not sure of the origin of the picture in Sarto?s post above. It isn?t the Sarto tool that I know. And thus perhaps not for the Elan.

[Davidb]

Iowner: With 26R style hubs/wheels the knock offs must be tightened towards the front of the car! Something to do with diffential expansion rates I believe. The factory learned the hard way after losing a couple of wheels. After thousands of miles on my present car (with 26R hubs/wheel fastenings) and several seasons of racing in a 26R in the eighties I have never had a problem with wheels coming loose as long as I tightened them as described.

[1owner69Elan]

I agree that 26r wheels/hubs tighten ?toward the front?: left side has left hand threads, right side has right hand threads.

But, the standard Elan is the same. Not different.

I recently replaced the original standard hubs/wheels with 26r ones. Same orientation.

[Davidb]

You are right! I have never owned an Elan with standard wheels so did not realise they were the same as 26R. Of course on wire wheeled cars you tighten toward the rear and that is what I was thinking of I think.
As you were...

[1owner69Elan]

Great! Glad we cleared that up. Not the kind of thing we want later readers to misunderstand.

Potential safety issue.

[oldelanman]

Worth noting perhaps that the Workshop Manual quote shown above is referring to the direction of rotation to RELEASE the spinners while most of the discussion here is concerned with TIGHTENING ..... maybe that's leading to some confusion.

[reb53]

I would point out that Sarto?s unit clearly shows that you indeed do tighten the wheel nuts towards the rear of the car. Standard threads on the left side and left handed threads for the right side.

The manual, as shown in the next post, is correct.
Either that or I've been doing it wrong for the last 40 years and for some reason the wheels haven't come off.......
( come off a few other things, but not my car !).

Ralph.

[mac5777]

I think I may have resolved my questions of ON OFF directions. Spoke to Mike Ostrov and Ray at RD Enterprises on his Elan spinners offered for sale. He said the Hubs are designed with left and right threads. To tighten both sides go to the front end of the car and to loosen follow the UNDO arrows and rotate to the rear.
The British wire wheel spinners are the opposite, just follow the UNDO arrows. Unless you have the Hubs reversed you will not be able to put a left spinner on the right side.
The picture I posted earlier was for a two eared Jaguar. The British spinners and others have an UNDO or OFF with a directional arrow for right or left and can not be attached wrong. Again just follow the markings on each spinner. See picture,
Lotus Elans, the 26R hollow spinners and Cobra/GT40 type using Halibrand type spinners are beveled to match the wheel for a larger better contact area. The wire wheel types spinners for MGs, Triumphs, Morgans, Lotus type 14s, Jaguars and many other cars don't have beveled contact areas.
Enjoy
Sarto
I too don't know how Lionel can offer such a great price. He must own an aluminum mine or he is a secret angel. Hats off for all the others who have thrown away their hammers.

[MalcM]

This appears to be the most up to date thread on the subject, and it was the one I found in my hour of need/frustration at the weekend.

Spinner tool ordered Saturday from Lionel, delivered today:

eBay link in case anyone else would like to buy one:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lotus-3-eare ... 4903593785

[baileyman]

That's a nice looking socket(?). I was interested in going that route and even made a stab at making a couple ideas myself. And I have a similar aluminum one from TTR. Then Rick Cranny showed me how he tightens his winged nuts with a mallet and wooden drift, about a foot long.

There are two advantages to this method. First, because of the drift, you can easily swing the mallet clear of the shell and wheel. Second, max tightness is obvious as progress comes to a sudden halt and the entire car rings with the final impact.

John

[Billmack]

I dont remember the deets but the formula atlantic my son raced had the same threads diagonally across from each other. Also wheel torque 600 ft lbs(single.lug)

[Andy8421]

I dont remember the deets but the formula atlantic my son raced had the same threads diagonally across from each other. Also wheel torque 600 ft lbs(single.lug)

I suppose if the worst came to the worst, and the two wheels with the wrong handed thread fell off, the car could glide to a gentle halt balanced on the two remaining wheels.