Safety Wire Question

[patrickt]

I use JB Weld instead of anti-seize on my spinners. They haven't even loosened in 15 years.

[bobcowan]

So, this is how I have my safety wire.


These are the tools I used for the test.


My first step was finding out how much torque it takes to remove the spinner. But, my torque wrench only goes to 150 ft/lbs, and it takes more than that.

Next, I used the lead hammer and loosened spinner to finger tight. Then added safety wire that had no slack in it. My goal was to find out how much torque the safety wire can hold.

I'm using .031" SS aircraft safety wire. It will break right at 35 ft/lbs. Tried it three times, had the same result each time. As Ed mentioned above, the wire broke at the same place every time; right where the wire was bent back.

So, what did I learn from this? Only that the safety wire will break at 35 ft/lbs. And, that I need to get a bigger torque wrench.

[xb-60]

Originally Posted by eschaider

Wherever your wire changes directions by going through the little hole in the spinner or around the spoke of the wheel it will not have a smooth radius on the inside of the turn. When it gets that sharp bend it will break with far less tension than the cross sectional area of the wire would lead you to believe it would. I believe the metallurgy guys call it a notch fracture. It's sort of like scribing a line on glass — we know where it will fracture.

The safety wire is not intended to keep the spinner tight as someone who sees it for the first time might think. It is simply the canary in your spinner coal mine. If you install it to show a slack if the nut turns or as in Bob's case, slack with a visible bend to see if the wire tightened when the nut loosened it probably doesn't much matter.

What does matter is it is something you want to make a habit of regularly checking before driving so you don't have an unhappy surprise. The commentary from some of us who have experienced the loosening spinner is very real. The safety wire will not keep the spinner from loosening but it will warn you if it starts to.

BTW the only time spinners come off easily is when you don't want them to. When you want to remove them, a spinner removal tool will look like cheap money the moment you beat up a spinner wing from beating on it to loosen the spinner or worse break off.


Ed

Spot on, Ed and Gary.
“Safety wiring” bolt heads is a totally different application to “safety wiring” spinners.
In the bolt head application, the wire will prevent the bolt from loosening, so it really is a “safety wire” application. In the case of wheel spinners, the wire cannot prevent the spinner from loosening (look at the radius that the force is being applied for a start) and it should only be used as an indication that the spinner is loosening, so the wire should have a degree of slack (or a “Z” bend), and the slackness should be checked visually (and frequently).

Cheers!
Glen

[1795]

Or people can do what I do at the track. Each spinner gets a few hits from the lead hammer prior to going out. I do not safety wire my spinners, as they come off and on a lot and the spinners are checked before each outing. Carry the hammer in your boot. You can impress onlookers with your skill and the size of your hammer

[Mark IV]

Originally Posted by 1795

Or people can do what I do at the track. Each spinner gets a few hits from the lead hammer prior to going out. I do not safety wire my spinners, as they come off and on a lot and the spinners are checked before each outing. Carry the hammer in your boot. You can impress onlookers with your skill and the size of your hammer

Mines bigger than yours!

https://www.timemachineauto.com/m38-...ff-hammer.html

[1795]

Originally Posted by Mark IV

Mines bigger than yours!

https://www.timemachineauto.com/m38-...ff-hammer.html

I don't know about yours being bigger than mine, but it is in better shape. The next time we get together I need to drop off my old hammer for re-casting and get yours back to you.

[CompClassics]

I do not use safety wire on my knock-offs.
I apply a paint dot to the spinner that lines up to the wheels valve stem, if the paint dot moves in relationship to the valve stem I know I have an issue.

[CompClassics]

RUFdriver,

Yes, Porsche does offer a very efficient locking system. I worked for Porsche for a number of years, at the race track and on production cars and super cars like the Carrera GT.
The center lock wheel nut has a number of teeth that lock into center lock nut via a ratcheting mechanism inside the spindle. When the wheel center lock nut is torqued to specification with a torque multiplier adapter the center lock nut and the locking device does not need to engage, if the center lock nut starts backing off the locking device will snap into the closest tooth on the center lock nut to keep it from loosening further.

[1ntCobra]

Originally Posted by patrickt

I use JB Weld instead of anti-seize on my spinners. They haven't even loosened in 15 years.

Well eventually you are going to want to replace your BF Goodrich Comp TA tires when they get to be 20 years old and then what are you going to do?

[1795]

Originally Posted by 1ntCobra

Well eventually you are going to want to replace your BF Goodrich Comp TA tires when they get to be 20 years old and then what are you going to do?

He'll just wait until the dry rot off, then slip the new tires over the wheels and be done with it. Patrick is waiting for a manufacturer to come out with beige tires to match his car.

Either that of he will use a sawzall to cut the hubs off and then some more JB Weld to re-attach them.

[eschaider]

Not getting any love here, Patrick ...


Ed

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by eschaider

Not getting any love here, Patrick ...


Ed

I'm told the new "touchless tire changers" change your tires with the rims still attached to the hubs. So I'm good to go.

[peterpjb]

Originally Posted by CompClassics

I do not use safety wire on my knock-offs.
I apply a paint dot to the spinner that lines up to the wheels valve stem, if the paint dot moves in relationship to the valve stem I know I have an issue.

you won't see it while driving...

[1795]

Originally Posted by eschaider

Not getting any love here, Patrick ...


Ed

If we didn't like Patrick, we wouldn't give him any grief..

[eschaider]

I know, I was just teasing and baiting him trying to increase his participation in the thread but he either hasn't seen the post yet or hasn't taken the bait.


Ed

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by eschaider

I know, I was just teasing and baiting him trying to increase his participation in the thread but he either hasn't seen the post yet or hasn't taken the bait.


Ed

Patrick is no longer reading this thread.

[eschaider]

A-ha! I thought you might be out there observing from a safe distance ...


Ed

[Danr55]

Jeff, it looks like for the first time in 15 years, you and I disagree on something. Safety wire will hold the spinner from coming unwound provided the wire pulls in a positive direction and the pigtail is sufficiently long to keep it from coming undone. I've hung miles of safety wire on 100s of jet engines over the past and I've seen the results of bad wire jobs. You have to leave sufficient wire on the bitter end to make a loop and cut the wire. If you cut the pigtail too short it will come undone. If you cut it too long, you create a catch that WILL find someone or something it cut, slice, or poke. Hell, if I had a nickle for every foot of safety wire I've hung, I could pay for my new Tremec Tranny, which works really nice by the way..It is always safer to use a pin through the hub to prevent the knock off from coming unwound.