So how do I fix this... Socket stuck on rotating lock nut

[TopPlonker]

Hey all,

I needed to replace the brake caliper on my Astra, easy job right?...

My lock nut then broke when trying to remove the wheel. Annoying but something I've dealt with on an old car by hammering over a socket, normal stuff.

I stuck a 24mm socket over the lock nut and hammered it home, then discovered the lock nut had a rotating collar on it.

The nut is so tight in the wheel that I'm unable to lever anything in there or hammer it side to side (even with an extension bar) because the flex available from the collar just leaves the socket touching the wheel.

I need a solution to either get it off and then deal with the lock nut or get it off with the lock nut...

My thoughts are:
1. Try and weld inside the socket and weld the rotating collar to the lock nut so it's solid and remove with the socket...
2. Weld a nut to the outside of the socket and then use a bolt through the middle to pull itself off.
3. Weld an old extension bar into the socket and fashion some sort of slide hammer (probably find an old crossbrace and just tt it with a hammer)

I have a gasless mig welder but it's not a powerful one and I'm not 100% confident it would work.

Which of these do you think is the most feasible? Is there anything I can try before welding anything?...

Thanks!

[Evoluzione]

There was an old lady who swallowed a fly
I don't know why she swallowed a fly, perhaps she'll die....

[GreenV8S]

Split the socket with a chissle - get it started by drilling a small hole in one side if necessary. That gets you access to the locknut which will need some more brute force.

[ChampionRabbit]

Blogs of weld around the outside of the socket; enough to give a cheap puller something to hold. Then grind the blobs off after. No damage.

[colin_p]

A beefy blind bearing puller would be my weapon of choice.

Something like this.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Inner-Bearing-Puller-Se...

Cheap enough to sacrifice by giving it a good twallocking if needs be.

Finding a good tool merchant or motor factors open on a Sat morning could be tricky.

[eltax91]

My preference would be your option of weld a nut on and send some threaded bar down. Or, weld some bar to the end of the socket and a plate to the other end to whack with a dead blow

[Olas]

you only need to get the head off the bolt - drill it or burn it.

[Starfighter]

colin_p said:

.....
twallocking
...,.

Steeling that

[Drive it fix it repeat]

Wasnt there a pic on here recently of someone that had just cut the alloy around the bolt, worth a go

[njw1]

If there was a nut welded onto the end of the socket and you wound a suitable bolt into the nut and through the socket it would push against the lock nut and push the socket off (in theory!).

[eltax91]

njw1 said:

If there was a nut welded onto the end of the socket and you wound a suitable bolt into the nut and through the socket it would push against the lock nut and push the socket off (in theory!).

You mean like the OP suggested as option 2?

[TopPlonker]

Thank you all for the ideas!

I managed to get it off with a ghetto slide hammer made from some threaded rod a nut, another socket and an old dumbell weight.

Simply welded on a nut to the stuck socket (the worst weld ever) and went from there.



For future internet people finding this thread who also made the same mistake, welding works but you may be able to do something similar with an anchor bolt like this guy did:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aslnbOKwf-s

You could also run a bolt through the welded on nut and push it off that way, I just had threaded rod knocking around and no M8 bolts long enough to try this.

Thank you for your help guys! Some good ideas for sure

Now I just need to work out how to get the lock nut off properly.

Edited by TopPlonker on Saturday 29th February 19:49

[njw1]

eltax91 said:

njw1 said:

If there was a nut welded onto the end of the socket and you wound a suitable bolt into the nut and through the socket it would push against the lock nut and push the socket off (in theory!).

You mean like the OP suggested as option 2?

I do yes, where's me glasses.....

[eltax91]

Well done OP.

Can you get access to weld a nut on top of the wheel bolt at all? Picture doesn’t show how deep it is recessed

[imagineifyeswill]

You need to use a centre punch to expand and crack the rotating collar, they split easily there quite brittle, once the collar is out of the way then you hammer another tight fitting socket onto the remaining nut

[TopPlonker]

eltax91 said:

Well done OP.

Can you get access to weld a nut on top of the wheel bolt at all? Picture doesn’t show how deep it is recessed

I don't think I have the room to do that, I've seen a few youtube videos of people chiseling them off but by the time I found my chisel storm jorge was just kicking off...

[TopPlonker]

imagineifyeswill said:

You need to use a centre punch to expand and crack the rotating collar, they split easily there quite brittle, once the collar is out of the way then you hammer another tight fitting socket onto the remaining nut

I shall give it a go!

[NNH]

Thanks OP for letting us know what happened! Putting up a photo got you bonus points.

[njw1]

Awesome, I love a bit of garage ingenuity. And now back to the original problem, isn't mending cars brilliant...

[Angpozzuto]

I love it when these posts actually have a conclusion, extra points for adding the pic