Jam Mad Posted April 21, 2002 Share Posted April 21, 2002 EMERGENCY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! with my first track day coming up on saturday i went to whip off my wheels earlier to discover that somehow my locking wheel nut key is nowhere to be found. any ideas please ? am i completely shafted ???? they are the design that caterham sells, with about 15 ridges around them, with the key fitting in a certain orientation only. and yes.... PHEW ! after yet another search, i have found the serial number of the key, but i doubt that they'll be able to get one to me in time.... please help ! do you know if they can be removed by other means ? cheers folks, j Edited by - jam mad on 21 Apr 2002 23:06:49 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JP Posted April 21, 2002 Share Posted April 21, 2002 There is a universal socket thing, I think its called a gator something-or-other. It's got lots of pins inside the socket barrel which allows it to adapt to whatever shape of nut you push it over. Never tried it but it might work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibster. Posted April 21, 2002 Share Posted April 21, 2002 Jam Are you in the RAC/AA etc, it must be a problem they come across quite frequently? and I'm sure tyres places also must hit this on a daily basis Perhaps you could leave the car parked somewhere dodgy overnight and voila in the morning it's up on bricks and the wheel problem has gone, oh, ok back to plan A then smile.gif Paul "I had a car like that before the war" confused.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Septimus Posted April 22, 2002 Share Posted April 22, 2002 A few weeks ago a supplier had to cancel a meeting because he was stuck in Essex with a flat and no special socket and the RAC said there was nothing they could do. I recently had a call from the new owner of a car I had part-exchanged who could not change the wheel for this reason. I had left the socket in the glove box and the valeting people used by the dealers had cleared the lot out and lost it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul D Jones Posted April 22, 2002 Share Posted April 22, 2002 Its hard to do but you can drill the head off the bolt or drill the stud out of the nut small drill first lots of cutting compound and work up in drill sizes and a slow drill speed then repair the damage new nut/stud etc. and wear safty googles when drilling. Paul. See My Car Here Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caterhamnut Posted April 22, 2002 Share Posted April 22, 2002 James, we have the same problem - lost the thingy. Until I get round to replacing them, we just use a big mole grip. It may damage the nut, but at least you can get them off. Grip the nut with as much contact as you can get with the grips, then use a big screwdriver as a lever through the grips to undo the nut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony pashley Posted April 22, 2002 Share Posted April 22, 2002 That's a b****r James... Molegrip sounds like a proven expedient. Since you are garaged, I would put a plain wheel nut on until you've resolved the situation. re: the 'universal' socket (with the nest of steel pins inside)... in the broader scheme of things one hopes that ''wouldn't work'' (!), but could be worth a look... that's the kind of thing you might find in a DIY depot or a hardware shop like Robert Dyas (who have shops in town) or one the the motor accessory chains like Marble Arch Motors (just mindful of your workaday shop access). Don't know if the overall diameter of such a thing would be small enough to fit in the stud/nut recess in the wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jam Mad Posted April 22, 2002 Author Share Posted April 22, 2002 thanks guys.. i will try mole grips tonight.. caterham can't get another key, but did find that almost all of the remaining kits on the shelf were the same serial number.. somewhat worryingly... so i can order it tomorrow if i can't get 'em off tonight. £19 though !!! argh ! there is a moral here... wink.gif Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jam Mad Posted April 22, 2002 Author Share Posted April 22, 2002 just bought some 'self grip pliers' in the hope that that is what you meant... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caterhamnut Posted April 22, 2002 Share Posted April 22, 2002 Usually chrome in colour, they have an knurled adjustment knob at the end of one of the handles. Turning this adjusts the over-centre action that locks the handles together, or rather adjusts the point at which it locks (relative to the size of what you are gripping)This way you can grip something lightly, or much tighter. The over centre action means you can let go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pie_boy69 Posted April 22, 2002 Share Posted April 22, 2002 If these are the sort that I am thinking of you want to get a 19mm 16 point socket and hammer it on, I used this technique when I bought a saloon with the Special socket missing. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jam Mad Posted April 22, 2002 Author Share Posted April 22, 2002 they don't call you deity for nothing pie boy.. wink.gif so i'm going to... 1 turn the garage upside down again 2 apply mole grip/ auto grip pliers 3 try screw driver + hammer 4 either... buy new set or use pie boy method. no preference.. just the order in which they were suggested to me. i'll let you know if one works ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swiss_Tony Posted April 22, 2002 Share Posted April 22, 2002 Depending on what sort of nuts they are I may have a tool for removing them. I have not seen the Caterham lock nuts. What do they look like? James I am in S.London/Surrey if this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swiss_Tony Posted April 22, 2002 Share Posted April 22, 2002 You can ring on 07973 162353 if you get stuck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jam Mad Posted April 23, 2002 Author Share Posted April 23, 2002 tried everything last night, still no key, and not budging, so i'm going to cough up the £20 for a new set so i can get the key... DON'T LOSE YOUR KEYS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thanks james.. if for any reason i run into problems with the replacement key, i'll give you a call... number noted ! cheers. Edited by - jam mad on 23 Apr 2002 08:14:29 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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