MTFCA Forum

Got my first T last fall. 26 touring. Had few bad tires on it. I was lucky to find 2 already mounted over the winter. Went to replace one and when I tightened the first one down. The lugs look to be pulled. Is this just the paint the previous owner had put on cracked? Or is the wheel tightend too much and pulled the weld? Do not want to loose a wheel.
THX Steve

After years and years of off and on and retightening some will tend to do that. I repaired some like that by arc welding with a small rod running around 75 amps for a smooth small weld. You can take the tire off the rim or you can do it place. If you do it in place just don’t stay on it to long to over heat the rubber. Then slowly cool it off.
If you take the tire off the rim you can use a hammer to tap it back in place if it’s moved that much then make a smooth weld on the inside. I’ve done it both ways with success.
A purist would weld it from the inside but if it’s done from the outside and smooth you can’t really notice it unless your really looking for it.
Opinions will definitely vary about how to do the repair.

You can’t take a chance with a damaged part whose responsibility is holding up the car. If one lug goes out, it could cause the others to fail one by one until the wheel comes off and causes an accident. The lug pictured has been pulled loose and is dangerous to use. The lugs were originally bradded to the rim from the inside like a rivet and the bradded portion may have been rusted off and weakened by deep rust pits that are common to the inside of the rims. You will need to remove the rim and tire and have the lug stick or mig welded from the inside.

Recess the area of the lug base and surrounding rim hole metal with an angle grinder so that, after welding, you will have plenty of weld holding the lug, after you grind the weld smooth so it will not cut the tube. Since one lug was pulled loose, the other three might be the same way, so it would be wise to re-weld all of the lugs the same way, as a precaution. After completed, prime with red oxide primer and coat with a good, durable silver paint such as Sherwin Williams Silver Brite silver paint, made for coating metal roofs and one of the Brit East silver paint I ha e ever used. It must be constantly stirred and is applied by brush. It goes on splotchy, but as it dries, the pigment settles into a beautiful, smooth, bright, reflective, silver, much nicer than the dull gray galvanized coatings some recommend. Jim Patrick

Also note that the little bead on the wheel rim pulls up tight to the edge of the felloe, but the lug does not always contact the edge of the felloe. There may be a small space between them. Yours is tightened so far that the lug has been pulled to an angle and pulled loose from the rim. Notice how the lugnut is seated on an angle in the lug.

Thx guys. What I thought. Guess I get to Learn how to use the spreader tool I bought to change The tires. Great bunch of guys

To your questions, as Jeff has stated: No, and then Yes