MTFCA Forum

I know that Henry didn't specify a torque value for rear wheel nuts other than "really tight." I've done some research and found 70 ft-lbs, 120 ft-lbs and 200 ft-lbs suggested in early posts. Anyone care to chip in with your recommendation?

Tim, i usually start out at a minimum of 75 lbs, then tighten up to the next nut notch which might end up at 100 lbs.+ or-. Opinions may vary, but 200 lbs. seems very excessive to me.

Isn't that one of the places where you're supposed to turn it until just before it breaks?

I use 70ft/lb. The reproduction nuts are made of cheese & don't handle much more than 90. Old orig' ones are tougher but mostly all gone. Anything too tough & the axle threads would strip right off so... cheese nuts it is!

I presume we're talking about axle nuts, and not the nuts used to secure the rims to wheel. In that case, I start at 110 ft. lbs. and hope a castellation lines up with the hole before I get to 140 ft. lbs. Original and repro nuts and axles seem fine with that. After the car has been driven for a while, I recheck the nut is tight enough - if driven around with it loose, the taper of the axle and hub, as well as the key-way will wear.
I have seen where the axle nuts were done up with an ordinary shifting spanner hand tight; the assumption was the key was all that was necessary to keep everything in position. The result was the most elongated keyway I have seen.

I've had previous cars that I brought home and pulled the wheels for a check-up only to find the rear nuts were barely beyond snug. Thank God for cotter pins! I use a 2' breaker bar on my socket and yank and tug until my back and/or shoulder hurts like heck and the cotter hole is exposed. Havent lost a wheel yet! Just sayin'

lol. Thats a great one. Tighten it till a shoulder or back goes pop then install the cotter pin.

I always heard "tighten till failure then 1/4 turn" . Jim

I use JP's method - 70 ft-lbs, then pull more as needed to get the castellations to line up.

Here is the wrench that Ford supplied for the job when our Model T's were new.
This is an original 5Z-248 rear axle Ford wrench. It has a 21 inch long heavy pipe handle.
I have never used it, because i'm afraid I would strip the axle or nut.

So, if my calculations are anywhere near correct, using this wrench, a person would need to push with just over 45 lb. of pressure on the end of the wrench, to get 70 lb/ft of torque on the axle nut. Seems logical. But, if a person really leaned on the wrench, with his body weight, you could get well over 100 lb/ft torque. I'm still confused. I think I will shoot for the 70 - 100 lb/ft zone and to the next castlelation for the cotter pin. Sure don't want that nut loose.

Thanks for the photo. I didn't know Ford had a special wrench for the axle nuts.