Scott, First let me say that I would never bet my front wheel on a Nylock nut, nor on a nut using Loctite. These products are not intended for that application. Only a physical device that positively locks the nut should be used.
Obviously, the best choice would be to remove the spindles and have them properly drilled in a drill press or mill. But since some are suggesting the use of a hand drill with the spindle on the car, then let me offer some advice on the best way to perform such a task. 1. Get a non-castellated nut that will thread onto the spindle. The best choice would be a "heavy" hex nut, as these are larger than standard hex nuts of the same thread size and pitch. We will call this the "guide nut". 2. Determine the correct size cotter pin for your castellated nut; that will be your hole size (do not make your hole any larger). Get a HIGH QUALITY drill made of high-speed steel (HSS) or cobalt in the correct size. I would recommend using a new bit for this task. 3. Take your guide nut and mark and punch the center of one of its flats, Take a mild steel (grade 2) sacrificial bolt and thread it into your guide nut. 4. Clamp the guide nut in a vise on your drill press, center on your punch mark, and drill a hole straight through the side of the nut, through the bolt, and through the other side of the nut. The drill should exit exactly in the center of the opposing flat on the nut; if not, start over. 5. Remove the sacrificial bolt and toss it; it's purpose was to keep the internal threads of your guide nut from getting deformed or damaged during the drilling operation. If you have a thread chasing tap in the correct size and pitch, it wouldn't hurt to run it through your guide nut just to be sure there are no sharp burrs on the threads. If you know the correct distance from the machined base of a factory-drilled spindle (don't measure from the outer end of the spindle, as the end lengths may vary) to where the cotter hole should be, then skip the next step. 6. Assemble your hub (with bearings, spacers, washers, etc.) onto the spindle and thread on a castellated nut. Torque it per the correct assembly instructions, lining up a slot in the castellated nut where the cotter pin would go. Now measure from the end of the spindle to the CENTER of that slot. That is where your hole is to be drilled. Remove the castellated nut and the hub assembly. 7. Thread the guide nut onto the bare spindle and stop so that the hole in the guide nut is aligned with where the spindle hole should be using the known measurement from the base of the spindle OR using the measurement taken from the end of the spindle in step 6 above. 8. Keeping the guide nut fixed in position, thread another nut tightly against it to lock it in position. 9. I recommend tightly wrapping the expose spindle with heavy material (like leather or denim) and taping it in position so that if the drill bit breaks, the drill doesn't come down and score your spindle. (Of course, the bit should not break if you are using a quality bit and applying proper drilling technique.) 10. Now you can drill your spindle using the hole in your guide nut to keep your drill bit centered and perpendicular to the spindle axis. It will also help prevent the threads on your spindle from getting deformed or damaged. When drilling, apply firm and balanced pressure directly in line with the hole, letting the drill bit do the work. Cutting oil is strongly recommended. 11. Remove any chips from the hole, then carefully remove the nuts. Inspect the threads for any damage. If you have a thread chasing die in the correct size and pitch, run it onto the spindle just to be sure there are no sharp burrs on the threads. A proper thread file can also be carefully applied. Good luck! Regards, Michael Liu -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Thursday, 08 September 2011 08:21 To: [email protected] Subject: [alfa] Re: alfa-digest V10 #2473 Scott, The obvious question is what has kept the nut in place for the past 26 years? Oh yeah, it's an Alfa, it hasn't run since 1985... Seriously though, whats going on? Biba's advice is not dangerous if you get the right kind of nut - elastic stop nut - and replace it every time you remove it... But if you are competent enough to remove/replace the rotor hub assembly you should be able to take an electric drill and punch a straight hole through the spindle. As a machinist I could give you directions on how to drill the spindle or... Let me know. Thomas Gonnella MAARC Newport News VA -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Scott Shure Sent: Tuesday, 06 September 2011 18:34 To: [email protected] Subject: [alfa] GTV-6 front spindle Good evening, My 85 GTV-6 has a spindle that is not drilled to accept a cotter pin lock for a castellated nut. There are several possible fixes, can you help with any of them? 1) drill the the spindle to accept a cotter pin, the simplest solution. I hear DiFatta does this. Any advise as to if this can be done without disassembling everything and going to the drill press? 2) secure flanged nuts that allegedly were used on late model 75's in Europe. Ed @ DiFatta knows what they are but does not have any. I contacted Highwood in England and await a response. Do you know where I can get some? 3) pursue the "Mercedes" type hub nut that has a locking set screw. I did find these through a website called dealer to dealer BUT it involves placing separate orders and I will actually need an additional set of the washers according to the folks at AlfaGTV6.com Regards, Scott Shure 85 GTV-6 Ellicott City, MD -- to be removed from alfa, see http://www.digest.net/bin/digest-subs.cgi or email "unsubscribe alfa" to [email protected] -- to be removed from alfa, see http://www.digest.net/bin/digest-subs.cgi or email "unsubscribe alfa" to [email protected]
