Pulling axles in my LS to swap out wheel studs. Any tips, tricks, gotchas? Any one-time use replacement parts needed?

galaxy said:

Pulling axles in my LS to swap out wheel studs. Any tips, tricks, gotchas? Any one-time use replacement parts needed?

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You can swap studs without pulling the axles. There’s a hole in caliper bracket large enough to allow the stud to pass through. Line the first stud up with the hole, tap it out, rotate until the next one lines up and repeat. Install is best/easiest using the Lisle 22800 stud installer.

I’ve done that before. Didn’t like it. Seems like a lot of stress on my pretty brand new studs. All that hammering. Doesn’t that stretch or deform the the stud and the new threads? Too violent with an impact. Didn’t like it. Plus banging on that axle with a 4lb hammer to get the old ones out.

You don't need an impact, you can do it with a normal ratchet and maybe some help with a cheater pipe or breaker bar. No more stress than you'd get with a press, you're just going the other direction. Getting them off, that's another story but again, hammering on a sacrificial lug works pretty well for me. That or using a ball joint press. I've never had a problem doing it that way going from stock lugs to ARP and then ARP to MSI. ARP lugs got more marked up from taking the nuts off and putting them back on than I did installing them.

That said, if you're dead set on pulling the axles you'll want to get 3 quarts of gear oil and maybe a lube locker 8.8 gasket. There are no other single use items but it's a lot of extra work for no real benefit.

galaxy said:

Pulling axles in my LS to swap out wheel studs. Any tips, tricks, gotchas? Any one-time use replacement parts needed?

Click to expand...

I pulled my axles and pressed new studs in when I was changing the gear lube since I was already in there. No one time parts or specialty tools needed. You may want to replace the axle seals and bearings while you are there as a precaution.

I forget where I read this, but someone recommended a Ball Joint Separator for pressing studs, so I tried it when I installed the ARPs on my Bullitt.



This was fairly easy and they pressed in/out by hand. I'd recommend the Lisle stud installer (bearing) to get them started square, but you can send them home with the separator.

Pictured is a Gearwrench 3916D.

Thanks man, just went and found that very tool. Nice to see it installed; should do the trick.

FWIW, I don't know if it has enough jaw width to press OUT extended studs, but it will tackle normal no issue and will press just about any stud in.

I used the Lisle 22800 installer and a lug nut to get them started so I could ensure everything was square.

Last year, I did the S550 brake upgrade to my 2012 Boss 302 that included R&R'ing the rear studs. The axles came out too, to R&R the seals (I'd blown the passenger side seat @ LSIR in 2024).

I removed the old studs using a hammer (don't wail on the hammer, good solid hits with an old sacrificial lug nut will work). Installation takes a bit of patience and well thought methods to prevent the new studs from coming in at an angle, a mistake I'd made on my racecar many years ago.

The Lisle 22800 tool, coupled with a few properly placed washers, a spacer and long lugs nuts will get the job done:



For anyone interested, the lug nuts are Gorilla Race Lug Nuts 45088BC-20. However, they may have been discontinued.

I do stud installs all the time on Mustangs and many other cars. SOrry to be blunt, but its almost insane to pull the axles to do this unless you have to in order to get the new ones in (which you shouldn't).

You don't need a 4lb hammer to get the old ones out, any hammer will do, or your purse. 2-3 hits and they are out. The Lisle tool is perfect and with an impact they pull right in. I got a fancier tool that has threads build in but before that, I used the Lisle but use a throwaway lug nut just in case. The ARP and any other brand long studs I have used are harder metal than stock ones, you won't hurt them. But even on stock Subaru studs, which are made out of wet tissue paper, the lug nut/Lisle trick doesn't damage or stretch them. When using an impact, you can clearly see when the stud stops moving and you can also hear it.

Don't make extra work, IMO. Even if I had to pull an axle, I would drive the old out with a hammer and use the tool to pull new in while working 8 feet away from my press. Its not that easy to press them in straight on the press, BTW.

DaveW

Thanks guys, I’ll stop overthinking it.

THANK YOU guys. What a simple job. I was not worried about pulling the axles; I have the tools, the capability, and the skill, but I sure over thought it. That gear wrench style separator tool pressed the old studs out with zero effort. The OEMTools 24234 made putting the new studs in about as easy. Removing the caliper and everything, I’d say it took me 20 min per wheel.

Just to drive you crazy, on project superbeater I had all the axles n hubs out, pressed the studs in and then mounted an old wheel on them to insure they were straight. I then tack welded the studs in while the wheel was mounted. Total overkill, but it was all apart.

Post in thread 'S197 extended wheel stud options' https://trackmustangsonline.com/threads/s197-extended-wheel-stud-options.18274/post-273822

If the axles are out why not use the press instead of a hammer. I did the same except for the tack welds while my axles were out last time.

EF1 said:

If the axles are out why not use the press instead of a hammer. I did the same except for the tack welds while my axles were out last time.

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Sometimes the press is hard to get in there. That's why I bolt a wheel on, grease the taper and Wang them down..or torque them, either way. Once I know they are dead nuts straight, I tack weld them so they don't get any ideas.
All of the above methods work, a few are more convenient, a few are more complicated, whatever works. I beat on the car pretty hard, and all the race teams I've worked for tack the studs, but in fairness, many have been rebuilt a number of times, so the knurl is getting a little tired, and if that stud spins in the hub, you'll be hating life if the wheel is still on.