well I was installing my springs tonight and I ran into a problem at the most unexpected point. I got the front struts in and everything went smoothly. Then when it was time to put on the wheels, the lugnuts that volk supplied me were too small. Thus I managed to strip the lugs.

Good thing i just recieved a haynes manuel and the procedure to replace the lug bolts is outlined in the book. Does anyone know how long it'll take approximately? Also any insight from those who have done this procedure in the past would be great too. Thanks in advance.

 

Buy new wheel lugs and lug nuts. Note the splines on the shoulder of the lug. That's what keeps the lug seated in the hub and prevents it from turning when the lug nut is loosened or tightened.

Jack the corner of the car. You won't be crawling under the car so a jackstand won't be required. Remove the wheel.

The brake caliper is fastened to the torque member with 2 bolts. Remove the lower of the two and swing the caliper up as far as it will go. Remove the brake pads.

The torque member is fastened to the steering knuckle with 2 bolts. Remove both bolts. Don't let that caliper dangle; use a piece of stiff wire to hang it from one of the strut spring coils.

Remove the rotor. No bolts, it just pulls off. Now you are looking at the hub.

Rotate the hub so that a broken lug is aligned with the cutout in the stamped steel baffle plate. The cutout is where the caliper was located before you removed it. Use a hammer and punch of suitable size to drive the broken lug inward. It will fall free of the hub.

Insert a new lug into the hole in the hub. Put some kind of spacer over the lug threads. The manual suggests 4 flat washers. Put a drop of oil on the threads and screw the lug nut backwards onto the lug. "Backwards" means to have the flat face of the lug nut bearing against the washers. Tighten the lug nut until it bottoms. That draws the lug into proper position in the hub. Remove the lug nut and washers.

Repeat the process for the other damaged lugs.

Reassemble all of the removed parts. Tighten the five lug nuts to 80 foot-pounds.

This may seem like a lot of work but it really isn't. You can do this in an hour.

 

Daniel, does this mean I don't need a press tool?

 

That sucks that you ripped all five of your lug nuts. That's just silliness.

 

To do the job "by the book" you would remove the steering knuckle from the car, then remove the hub from the steering knuckle, then use a hydraulic press to remove the broken stubs. In common practice, most technicians use the "pound it out" method previously described.

Advantage of the shortcut: saves time and does not require access to a press.

Disadvantage of the shortcut: the shock of pounding is unkind to the wheel bearing and may shorten its life.

Method I use: pound it out!