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Hey there
I have gotten myself into quite a big mess here. I have a 2003 Dodge Dakota 4.7l 2wd and I have completely obliterated one of the lug nuts on the driver side rear tire. Chrysler uses lug nuts with a chrome cap, and once the cap is off, the lug nut size goes from 19mm to 18mm. I did not have an 18mm deep socket (its kind of a weird size and the one I have I bought specifically to remove the blades on my lawnmower.) So I ended up rounding it off into a near perfect circle. I know this was a stupid, rookie mistake that could have been avoided with patience and proper tools. I’ve had a shop look at it, and they won’t touch it. (usually a bad sign) They say they would likely damage the alloy wheel and I’d have to replace it. I am very discouraged. I bought a craftsman bolt out kit with the sockets that have helix shaped teeth that bite on damaged fasteners, but the damn thing is on there so tight, It just rounds it off even more. Is there anything you can recommend that I haven’t tried? I don’t have air tools, and I’m trying to save my alloy wheel.
Thank you very much,
Doug
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[quote=”johnbkobb” post=59492]Ya and how do you plan to get at the nut while it is recessed into the rim to hold the rim on without tearing up the rim. There is barely enough room inside that recess for the socket to get on the nut.
It is a sink wrench, it’s not a pipe wrench Leo. It is a tool for removing the nuts under the sink that hold the faucet to the sink. Look under your sink Leo.[/quote]
i just use a vice grip to get faucet off
Ok . Go back to sears and get the craftsman lugnut / locking lugnut removal set – Part # 947392. This is the set I have and it works very well. other option is to take a “GOOD ” quality 12 point socket that is slightly smaller then the damaged lug nut , pound it on with a bfh and remove said lug nut.
Thanks for your suggestion! I really do appreciate it, but my problem is that most of the lug nut is now a pile of little shavings on my driveway, and there really is no way for the helical flutes to bite because the metal is very cheap and very soft. I started with a 19mm Bolt out, and am now down to 15mm. I have no interest in saving the wheel stud, and I planned on replacing it anyway because It’s taken a nasty beating with all the hammering and stuff. I think the next step is to drill the stud out so its as hollow as I can get it, then I can just break it off. If that doesn’t work, ill have someone cut it with a torch and find a junkyard alloy wheel. You definitely had a solution that would have worked though!
If you plan to drill the stud I recommend the cobalt drill bits from lowes hardware. I use them all the time and they have never let me down. keep us posted on your progress.
When drilling it out make sure and use plenty of lubrication and take you time. Also make sure you drill it out level you don’t want to come out the side and drill into your rim if you damage the cone that the lug nut seats into the rim is no good and it sucks to drill half way through and realize its crooked and you have to find a way to straighten it out. But other then that its not to bad.
Good luck
I’ve cut sandpaper into a strip enough to wrap the nut like a Band-Aid, then Using a vice grips( u can get ones that are tiny, great for clamps). It’s worked for me. The sandpaper grips the nut while the vice grips turn it. Good luck.
I admire some of you guys, who have the patience to drill it out. I probably would have taken a cutting torch to it, and it wouldn’t be pretty but it would be off in 5 minutes. I would cover the wheel and rim as best I could but there would be no guarantees about the wheel or rim. A plasma cutter might be a better tool if you have access. You don’t need to cut all the way through, since a nut breaker can finish the job with less risk to adjacent structures.
My advice to you my friend is get a 11/16 MULTIHE socket and yes it has to be multihex and knock it on with a hammer if you need more length attach an IMPACT extension to hit as a punch and once it’s on use a rattle gun to loosen the rounded nut ps recommend using 1/2inch drive removed so many rounded wheel nuts this way
Did you try and put the chrome nut cap back on the nut so the 19mm socket would work to get the lug nut off? Too late now though. That’s what I did when my chrome nut covers came off my 1990 Caravan. I still have them around and have saved them just for that purpose, to convert a 19mm to a 18mm socket.
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