Fox T-Bird/Cougar Forums

Technical => Suspension/Steering => Topic started by: Ether947 on July 21, 2006, 05:19:49 PM

Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: Ether947 on July 21, 2006, 05:19:49 PM
Ok here's the deal. I need some ideas on how to get these bad boys off. I got two of them off via socket and jb weld. Tried to repeat on the rears and it failed. Now I'm out of useless 3/4 drive sockets and jb weld... and ideas.

Hiizelp!
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: 84 Fila on July 21, 2006, 06:06:56 PM
Cuttin tourh and Vice grips???
Heat till they expand the torque them off???
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: 88turbo on July 21, 2006, 07:14:32 PM
can we have a pic of your setup?  you might be able to use a chisel but you have already told me that you dont have one.  so......  have you tried beating a socket on there with some jb weld??
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: Ether947 on July 21, 2006, 07:26:53 PM
Quote from: 88turbo
can we have a pic of your setup? you might be able to use a chisel but you have already told me that you dont have one. so...... have you tried beating a socket on there with some jb weld??

I don't know why but the rear ones wouldn't hold with the jb weld like the front ones did. One socket was pretty big though... I may have to just go buy two more cheap 1" sockets and another pack of jb.

I can get pics.


Quote from: 84 Fila
Cuttin tourh and Vice grips???
 Heat till they expand the torque them off???

Got the Vise-Grips. No torch. :(
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: 88turbo on July 21, 2006, 07:29:02 PM
go get a chisel.....    thats about a sure fire way to get them off..  just chisel in the direction that you want the nut to turn.  we did this on my shop teachers 57 bel air
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: stuntmannick on July 21, 2006, 07:39:20 PM
Any decent tire shop will have a kit to take them off.

I got mine off with an impact socket and a sledge hammer.
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: Ether947 on July 21, 2006, 07:45:57 PM
Here's the two successful ones.
(http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i78/ether947/New%20TC/DSC01959.jpg)

The failure
(http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i78/ether947/New%20TC/DSC01962.jpg)

And the setup.
(http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i78/ether947/New%20TC/DSC01960.jpg)
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: 84 Fila on July 21, 2006, 07:46:13 PM
I have a key for the ones on the Vic when it had them would it workd on yours?
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: 84 Fila on July 21, 2006, 07:48:01 PM
It looks like it will work, I'll get pics of it for you if you want
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: Ether947 on July 21, 2006, 08:44:10 PM
Quote from: 84 Fila
It looks like it will work, I'll get pics of it for you if you want

Sweet! Please do. :D
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: 88turbo on July 21, 2006, 08:54:04 PM
once again chisel......
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: 84 Fila on July 21, 2006, 08:54:08 PM
I got to wait till tomorow, My freinds borrrowed my car. Is that cool? Try the chisel in the meantime.
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: 88turbo on July 21, 2006, 08:56:47 PM
dig deep with the chisel to get a good start..
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: CougarSE on July 21, 2006, 09:23:26 PM
You gota use 12pt sockets to remove wheel locks... the 6pt dont provide enough traction.
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: Chuck W on July 21, 2006, 10:39:47 PM
The key may "look" like it's going to work, but most likely not....they all look the same at a glance.

Looks like your best bet might be to pick up a couple more cheap sockets and try again.  It might also help if you have a cut off wheel to cut a couple slots across the end of the lug to give the JB more to bite into.
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: 84 Fila on July 21, 2006, 10:46:42 PM
Yeah, Chuck sound right. I'lls till get the pictures to you though. Not like I have anythng better to do at 10:46 at night
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: ipsd on July 21, 2006, 11:08:44 PM
I tell you to goto the parts store and buy the tool to do it. Performance tool makes them. I know they sell them at oreilly. They cost about $20. Thet are kinda like an eazy out buy made to work in wheel locks. If you goto oreilly they are on the tool isle in the middle about waist height , on the side with all the special tools.
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: 88turbo on July 22, 2006, 08:01:24 AM
are they factory ford locks?  if so go to a ford dealer and barrow one of their keys.  they should have a kit with all of them.
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: TurboCoupe50 on July 22, 2006, 11:11:38 AM
Quote from: Chuck W
The key may "look" like it's going to work, but most likely not....they all look the same at a glance.

Almost embarrassed by this one, I was tring to get some off with a key that was exactly the same... Would not fit... Then I remembered, it cannot be exact, must be a mirror image... DUUUHHHH..  There are at least 8-10 different patterns used on these cars, its pure luck if a "on hand" key fits..


My best home remedy is to use a air grinder and cutoff wheel to cut in a couple of flats, then just use Vice Grips... 

Worked for me...
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: Innes on July 22, 2006, 01:44:55 PM
Quote from: ipsd
I tell you to goto the parts store and buy the tool to do it. Performance tool makes them. I know they sell them at oreilly. They cost about $20. Thet are kinda like an eazy out buy made to work in wheel locks. If you goto oreilly they are on the tool isle in the middle about waist height , on the side with all the special tools.

i cant agree more its the only way iv done it and its easy.
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: mjbtbrd on July 22, 2006, 02:55:16 PM
LOL  I feel your pain trying to get some off a friends car now who lost her key.
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: Ether947 on July 22, 2006, 03:21:17 PM
What parts store did you get this tool from? I went to Autozone yesterday and I didn't see anything. I suppose I could of asked but I didn't feel like getting the blank stare. =|

I tell yah, next time I buy a car I'm doing a 101 point inspection. I was so concerned about looking for rust that I missed a bunch of little things wrong with this ride.
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: ipsd on July 22, 2006, 03:45:41 PM
The name of the store is Oreilly Auto parts. Not shure how close a store is to you. I think up north they still have the Bumper to bumper name. They bought them out last year and I know the warehouse in Minneapolis has the bumper to bumper name on the building.
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: mjbtbrd on July 22, 2006, 04:19:12 PM
Mine are off.  I did a lil grinding, vise grip action and used this:http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/product.do?pid=00952165000&vertical=Sears&BV_UseBVCookie=Yes
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: Ether947 on July 22, 2006, 06:06:20 PM
got mine off too. losta grinding plus socket plus BFH.
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: Ether947 on July 22, 2006, 07:51:59 PM


Ok, so when I first drove off in this car I immediately realized that the brakes weren't so hot. Ok, non-existent. My fault for not test driving. I was pretty pissed at myself about it seeing as I had several relays at home. But I had mostly highway driving to do so no biggie as long as no one slams on their brakes. But there was this noise that concerned me. The grinding noise that seems to be coming from the driver's side rear wheel. I thought it might be the rear end but since I had another one at home I didn't care.

Fast forward. A few days later I get to work on fixing the brakes. Put a new relay and harness in. Pump still doesn't work. I tested it, works fine. What's the deal? I put some brake fluid in and it seems like it can't get enough. Ended up putting in nearly two bottles before it had it's fill. Turn the key to on, the pump works! w00tage! I win. Step on the brake pedal, no more rock solid pedal. Press it again and it goes to the floor (while simutaneously hearing fluid spill unto the ground). Look under the car and there's a puddle under the rear driver's tire. WTF? I figure a line is loose so I pop the cover off the wheel to have a looksee and there it is... my nemesis... the wheel lock. I look all over the car for that  key to no avail, ask the previous owner and he has no clue. it.

Fast Forward. JB Weld sockets to all four locks and the two front ones come off while the rear ones hold on strong. . I think who ever did the brakes put those beotches on extra snug. Even the regular lug nuts were a pain to get off. So I get the fronts converted to five lug, but all the while I'm really wanting that cursed driver's rear wheel off. And the front driver's brake line will NOT SEAL to the caliper!!!! I must of torqued that  thing down at least a thousand times!!! I tried to find some new crush washers but that's another story.

Fast Forward to today. I go to the store to buy two more 1 inch deep sockets (because 15/16 is the smallest size that wouldn't fit) and some more JB Weld. Get back to the house and ta-dah! They don't F-ING FIT!!! WTH???? How can this be? Now I'm really regretting not buying that chisel after staring at it for 15 mins. So I my little pick/driver thingy. Start hammering away and it snaps in half. Grrrr. So I grab the angle grinder and I start to grind that  smug wheel lock in half when I remembered TC50 saying to grind on the lock so the JB weld can bite and I momentarily start doing just that. I put the socket on and it I can tell that it is gripping the lock. So I grab the BFH and holy  it's on there. Wait? I forgot the JB!!! it all!!! But just for kicks a put a rachet on there and with very little m-f-ing resistance the lock turns. It turned so easy I though the socket was spinning around the lock. Ass. Passenger side was the same way.

So I finally get the wheels off to inspect the brakes and I discover that I can kill two birds with one stone. The caliper was leaking from the piston being overextended because whoever did the rear brakes last forgot to put the rear inner brake pad on. =/

I am Sofa King Pissed and Happy at the same time.

Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: 88turbo on July 22, 2006, 08:19:02 PM
if only my brakes would work like that.  I know the pump will run if I jump the relay (new relay from ford)  *runs out to check fluid level*
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: Ether947 on July 23, 2006, 08:19:30 AM
when I "checked" mine it apppeared to be ok. just a little on the low side.  I accidentally overfilled it and I noticed that it would receed everytime I did so.

is your "brake" light on in the instrument cluster? is your brake pedal hard as a rock?

Quote from: 88turbo
if only my brakes would work like that.  I know the pump will run if I jump the relay (new relay from ford)  *runs out to check fluid level*
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: CougarSE on July 23, 2006, 09:05:29 AM

 
 
 
 
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: bduly on July 27, 2006, 03:13:30 AM
May be a little late, but for future reference.... If I need to get a wheel lock off at a junk yard I tighten the three other lugs as tight as I can and simply loosen the wheel lock by hand, at most with vice grips. It's crazy simple and usually works. At least give it a shot.
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: TurboCoupe50 on July 27, 2006, 02:32:45 PM
Quote from: bduly
May be a little late, but for future reference.... If I need to get a wheel lock off at a junk yard I tighten the three other lugs as tight as I can and simply loosen the wheel lock by hand, at most with vice grips. It's crazy simple and usually works. At least give it a shot.


Now thats the best bit of info I've seen lately... Makes sense, just don't wring off the other lugs...
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: Lodemia on August 17, 2015, 03:53:55 PM
I just had to do this with a T-Bird that I am parting out.  I used an air chisel in the "grooves" of the wheel lock.  Just put it there, and keep it from jumping abound too much.  The vibration works it loose in about 30-60 seconds.  Super simple fix.
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: CoogarXR on August 17, 2015, 04:09:11 PM
I realize this topic is 9 years old, lol...

I bought an 87 anniversary cougar a while back. It had wheel locks with no key. I just pounded a 12pt craftsman socket on there and turned them with a breaker bar. None of them gave me any trouble. I think I shaved several years off the life of that socket though, heh.
Title: Wheel Lock Removal
Post by: Haystack on August 17, 2015, 10:41:54 PM
I just break the wheel lock and stud off with a bar or pipe. It's fairly easy and a cheap fix.