Quote:
Originally Posted by Snake2998
I have this image in my mind of spinner loosening off on the front wheels and the wheel moving away from the drive pins and suddenly you are at speed with no brakes or brakes on only one side.  Not a good time to discover the problem when you are braking heavily.
Also the car steering from loose rear wheels. |
Yes, I own a 66 Corvette with KO wheels and on Corvette Forum it's a fairly regular occurrence. Usually the story goes I was driving along enjoying the day and the car was running great when suddenly I heard a clunk and shake at one corner of the car. Then I noticed a rolling wheel and tire passing by the side of my car - and I realized it looked like one of mine. Followed by grinding of metal to asphalt and sparks and then the picture of mangled fiberglass fender once the car is stopped.
Reproduction Corvette KO wheels are machined with small grooves in the threaded portion of the hub and the knock off (something like 5 in the hub and 6 in the spinner) that as the spinner is hammered tight and two grooves line up a pin can be slipped in to "lock" the spinner in place and it's held in by the spinner cap. However aluminum pins are normally used and they commonly will just shear - so the manufacturers (probably after consulting with the lawyers) started calling this system "anti-theft" instead of "anti-lose-a-wheel" pins. Original GM KOs didn't have pins and the chrome plated spinners and wheel design never lended itself to using safety wire.
I use hardened roll pins in mine that won't shear and mark the spinners and wheel cones with a felt tip marker as a witness mark just to be as safe as I can. But a lot of owners run them as GM originally designed them - hammer it on and every couple of drives walk around and give them a couple more taps just to be safe.
There's an old video around of Bill Thompson I believe, test driving the new 63 Corvette at the GM test track way back then and wringing it out good for Zora Duntov. As he pits for a few minutes to consult with Zora, a mechanic walks around the two cars (a split window coupe and convertible with prototype KO wheels) and whacks each spinner with a hammer a couple times. Still the best precaution.