How to remove lug nuts from deep offset wheels

[Fat Brian]

Does anyone have a good idea of how to remove the molded in lug nuts from a really deep wheel? I don't have anything that will fit in there without damaging the wheel somehow. 

[GLMFAA1]

My thought would be to try to drill them out from the back.

greg

[Ace-Garageguy]

Do you have access to a lathe?

That'd be the quickest, cleanest way.

You'd have to grind your own cutting tool, but that's SOP in the real world.

Edited June 24, 2022 by Ace-Garageguy
CLARITY

[Fat Brian]

  On 6/24/2022 at 2:53 AM, Ace-Garageguy said:

Do you have access to a lathe?

That'd be the quickest, cleanest way.

You'd have to grind your own cutting tool, but that's SOP in the real world.

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I do not, but I believe you posted a kind of sideways scraper blade that might work but I can't find the post it's in.

[NOBLNG]

  On 6/24/2022 at 1:52 AM, Fat Brian said:

Does anyone have a good idea of how to remove the molded in lug nuts from a really deep wheel? I don't have anything that will fit in there without damaging the wheel somehow. 

Expand  

Are you wanting to drill them out as a spare rim or somehow change the number of lug nuts?

[Fat Brian]

  On 6/24/2022 at 1:57 PM, NOBLNG said:

Are you wanting to drill them out as a spare rim or somehow change the number of lug nuts?

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I want to change the number of lug nuts. I'd like to make these 4 lug wheels by either removing 4 of the lugs and putting two back in the appropriate location or removing all of them and replacing them with hexagonal rod.

[randx0]

Consider removing the dust cap as well then you could just replace the whole center , I'd imagine a plain old hole punch would be pretty close to the size you'd need which you could add the lugs to before gluing the center back in . 

[NOBLNG]

Randy has a good idea. You can fab up the discs c/w lug nuts and center caps first. When you get them looking right, then scrape off the existing centers and glue on the new ones.

[Fat Brian]

I'm putting parts together to build a ghetto lathe. I found a socket that the wheel just fits in so a bit of masking take will make it nice and tight. I'm going to use a 3/8" drive adapter in my drill and clamp it to my bench so I can turn the wheel inside the socket and use a 1/8" wide chisel I bought to remove the lugs.

[stavanzer]

Sounds Good. Let us know how it works.

BTW That is called an "Improvised Engineering Lathe"