Tap and Die Sets

Post by **adambradford** » 05 Dec 2006, 16:41

Hi everyone! Been lurking around here for a while but this is my first post.

Bought a Camper in the summer and I'm in the middle of doing a home resto job on it. I have a newbie question for you all to laugh at:

I'm trying to restore the original steel wheels, but getting them off is proving somewhat difficult - it's like someone welded them on there! All wheels but one are now off, but I had to chisel a couple of nuts off the rears, resulting in damage to one stud on each side. I reckon a good Die would repair the threads, as the damage is only minor.

My question is this: Does anybody know what size I need? Tap and Die sizes are a complete mystery to me, I was going to buy a set off eBay but I have no idea what to buy. Someone told me I'd have difficulty finding one that big. Are they talking rubbish?

Also, if anyone has any advice on how to get a front wheel off when two of the bolts won't move despite having a 12 stone man jumping up and down on the lever, I'd be grateful! Otherwise I'll have to swallow my pride and take it down the tyre place.

Thanks,

Adam.

Post by **toomanytoys** » 05 Dec 2006, 17:39

Mmm..
If stock they should be M14x1.25....... IIRC E D I T (NO THEY ARE M14 x 1.5) but unless its very minor damage then you should consider either new studs or a second hand set of hubs....

Fronts.. Mmm.. a good air impact gun unless you have a very good socket (and fits well) and a 3/4 oe 1 inch drive and an even longer bar..
only other way would be to grind the bolt away...

They should be done up quite tight, but not that tight... spec is 127ftlbs... but I have only ever used 100....

Post by **Westy.Club.Joker** » 05 Dec 2006, 18:32

It`s easier to remove the knacked studs and just buy new ones, you won`t be able to swing the die-wrench with the studs in place anyway, so removal is the best option. New studs cost peanuts.

Slacken the big 46mm nut (F.tight) with the handbrake and wheel still on, then jack up, remove wheel, then brake drum, unscrew the now-slackened nut, then the hub slides off. Remove the studs by belting through with a hammer. To fit the new studs they should be pressed through the hub (use a vice and deep socket) DO NOT try and pull the stud through with a nut, you will knacker the new studs

You will be pulling the hubs off anyway to check/service the rear brakes, so do the jobs at the same time, will take an hour tops

Post by **HarryMann** » 05 Dec 2006, 18:55

Agree, you should be taking the rear hubs off to do the rear brakes
[Correction:] If you're taking the hub off to do the studs, plan on dong the rear brakes too, and check the backplate too.

as the rears should always be in good nick on a T25 with a lot of the weight to the rear, they make a big difference unlike many cars. If the wheel nuts have seized that badly, good chance the brakes haven't been looked at for ages either. Minimum is a de-dust and adjust usually.

However, have you heard of a thread file? You can dress the threads if they aren't 'too' damaged with such a thing and they are very cheap and a must for the toolkit of anyone doing a lot of genereal engineering work - metric thread file, eBay, dunno but shouldn't be more than a tenner, use paraffin/oil or a cutting agent, keep cleaning and inspecting until a new nut runs up thread reasonably. If serious damage remains at the point the nut takes up the wheel clamping load then be cirumspect and think new stud/studs... elsewhere it matters little.

See our Wiki for rear brake overhaul and wheel nut torques. recommendations. Whatever anyone says about them coming off, a wee bit of copperslip on the threads annually will stop this particular malarkey happening again

(I've broken a 2 ft. power-bar getting someone else's wheel must off before now, think thread health and at elats wire brush the thing everytiome you havethat wheel off...

http://wiki.80-90.co.uk/index.php/Brake ... _servicing

http://wiki.80-90.co.uk/index.php/Wheel ... lt_Torques

Wiki on Thread Files

Post by **toomanytoys** » 06 Dec 2006, 13:54

Er...

why do you need to take the hubs off to do the brakes? drums yes, but hubs no.... I never have and never felt the need too!!!

Remember that big nut needs doing back up bloody tight... 360 ftlbs IIRC.... that bloddy tight... ie a big bloke standing on the end of a 3 foot bar... then tighten to the next aligning split pin hole...

Post by **HarryMann** » 06 Dec 2006, 14:39

Ah

Rear wheel bearings!

Think what we were both saying is the other way around, if you're having the hub off to change the studs, do the rear brakes (and maybe the backplate) at the same time...

Post by **toomanytoys** » 06 Dec 2006, 16:16

AH yes.. if you have the hubs off, then its a good time to do the brakes... and back plates... they are always sh1tty.........

Post by **kevtherev** » 06 Dec 2006, 17:39

Westy.Club.Joker wrote:
Slacken the big 46mm nut (F.tight) with the handbrake and wheel still on,

yep

scaffold pole on the three quarter rachet drive and invite a fat bloke to jump on it

Post by **syncroandy** » 06 Dec 2006, 18:58

The studs are M14 x 1.5. If the threads are just a little damaged they should clean up OK. I got a die for just this purpose from Namrick.

HTH

Andy

Post by **bennwedge** » 06 Dec 2006, 20:21

i think you can get big tap and dies from www.rswww.com plus 1000+ more bits for anything. when i have a tough bolt to get out i usually try either giving the end a whack with a hammer to shock the rusty bits free or heating it up very quickly with a blow torch ( only where safe) either of the two have worked for me every time, oh and make sure you have a very good fitting spanner.

Post by **Westy.Club.Joker** » 06 Dec 2006, 21:13

Good luck tring to swing a die-holder, you will find that the other studs are in the way

What you need is a die-nut, that will whizz on with a socket or spanner. I would just get a new stud, `specially if the thread is more than slightly iffy on the damaged one, the wheel nuts are torqued to something like 180 ftlb

Post by **HarryMann** » 06 Dec 2006, 21:25

the wheel nuts are torqued to something like 180 ftlb Confused

His ones might be

but the correct figure is 133 ft-lbs, its all in the Wiki link above, and as SimonTMT says, much over a hundred does the job with good clean threads.

Post by **HarryMann** » 06 Dec 2006, 21:30

Scaffold pole on the three quarter rachet drive and invite a fat bloke to jump on it Very Happy

Or for skinny blokes without a scaff pole, without a socket that will stay put or a 3/4" T-bar to put the scaff pole on..

One of these is just the job...
http://wiki.80-90.co.uk/index.php/Gener ... ut_spanner

Post by **toomanytoys** » 06 Dec 2006, 21:37

Haynes list wheel bolts as 125ftlbs.. but at that force it dont make much difference!!!

Post by **kevtherev** » 06 Dec 2006, 22:29

I get an error on your wiki link clive