While working on my Fox Campus restorations I realized that almost all of the original lug nuts were useless junk. After years of abuse from ill-fitting wrenches, vise grips, hammers, and rust, there was no way they could be restored. After weeks of searching google and scouring the internet, I decided to make a post on OldMiniBikes and ask if anyone knew of a source for 3/8" -24 lug nuts. That was back in 2007 and to this day I still have not had a response. So, as I usually do in a situation like this I said: The hell with it...I'll make my own. And I did! Picture #1 shows a typical original lug nut. Not much there to work with. I began fabrication of the new lug nuts by purchasing six dozen 3/8"-24 "Hi Nuts" from Fastenal Co. See Picture #2. They're about twice the height of a regular 3/8" nut. Picture # 3 shows the hi nut chucked in my lathe and ready to be machined to a 60 degree taper. After the nut has been tapered it looks like the sample in Picture #4. Using a parting tool I removed part of the tapered end. (Picture #5) Now it's beginning to look like a real lug nut. In Picture #6 I'm using a reamer to remove any flash left over from the parting cut and to taper the inside of the nut to facilitate easier starting. After a little dressing up with a file and emery paper the finished nut looks like the one in Picture #7. Pictures #8 & #9 show the four successive steps involved. The last Picture #10 shows the results after standing in front of the lathe for ten hours. Now off to the plater for a nice coating of bright zinc....Ogy
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