Spinner Safety Wiring - Straight In

[Jamo]

Sal...you'll never know.

I safety wire every damn thing I can...including my gas cap. Don't know about aircraft per se, but growing up in farming makes things like this rather mundane. See, we used big ol rotary aircraft motors atop 60-75' stands on turntables for wind machines to fight frost in tomatos and citrus way back when. You sure don't like having to hang upside down while the suckers are going back and forth on the turntables checking bolts, so you learn at an early age to safety wire everything...just using some plain old plier(s) and a good ol rule of thumb. Same thing on big irrigation pump motors and tractors and whatever they pull (from French plows to harrows)...lots of vibration. Don't have to go to some ol technical school or become a rocket scientist to know safety wiring works...figured it all out before the internet came along. Farmers just know sh!t....guess that's why they make damn good racers.

Twist it like tying a good fishing line connection before ya pull it taught...too tight and you'll weaken it. Keep the untwisted loops for the spokes and the spinner hole short. The line should be snug but not tight. The tension will keep the bolt/spinner/whatever from spinning off. It does not take the place of checking it before running out on the track...whether it's your spinners or your oil pan bolt.

If ya wanna count the loops the first few times before ya get comfortable with eyeballing it, and it'll help ya sleep nights...cool.

[jwd]

Originally Posted by Jamo

Sal...you'll never know.

I safety wire every damn thing I can...including my gas cap. Don't know about aircraft per se, but growing up in farming makes things like this rather mundane. See, we used big ol rotary aircraft motors atop 60-75' stands on turntables for wind machines to fight frost in tomatos and citrus way back when. You sure don't like having to hang upside down while the suckers are going back and forth on the turntables checking bolts, so you learn at an early age to safety wire everything...just using some plain old plier(s) and a good ol rule of thumb. Same thing on big irrigation pump motors and tractors and whatever they pull (from French plows to harrows)...lots of vibration. Don't have to go to some ol technical school or become a rocket scientist to know safety wiring works...figured it all out before the internet came along. Farmers just know sh!t....guess that's why they make damn good racers.

Twist it like tying a good fishing line connection before ya pull it taught...too tight and you'll weaken it. Keep the untwisted loops for the spokes and the spinner hole short. The line should be snug but not tight. The tension will keep the bolt/spinner/whatever from spinning off. It does not take the place of checking it before running out on the track...whether it's your spinners or your oil pan bolt.

If ya wanna count the loops the first few times before ya get comfortable with eyeballing it, and it'll help ya sleep nights...cool.

Finally, a voice of reason. It pains me so to say that, considering the author.

Jim

[Jamo]

It's ok...we won't tell.

[Ronbo]

Someone told me it was best to run the safety wire from the spinner to one of the other rims.

I'll let you all know how this works out...

[csx wnab]

you want to know about safety wire? ask an aviation mechanic on military aircraft. or someone who has worked on military aircraft. the military way would be best. and as a person who spent four years on F-14s...........i would have to say tight is right............................................. .at an angle, not straight into the wheel.

[Aussie Mike]

Originally Posted by Ronbo

Someone told me it was best to run the safety wire from the spinner to one of the other rims.

I'll let you all know how this works out...

Wiring them to the chassis works too but you need to leave a fair bit of slack in the wire. You'll also find you won't need them fancy pliers as the wire will twist itself.

[ratsnst1]

The pliers I have only turn one way when you pull them, which is what jamo said, but are you supposed to use lead shot mallet, or a lead malet with no rubber protector on it.I use a lead shot, with a hard rubber insulator, protector, it seems that the lead hammer would tighten it better, but then would damage the spinner. Robert

[Power Surge]

Originally Posted by ratsnst1

The pliers I have only turn one way when you pull them, which is what jamo said, but are you supposed to use lead shot mallet, or a lead malet with no rubber protector on it.I use a lead shot, with a hard rubber insulator, protector, it seems that the lead hammer would tighten it better, but then would damage the spinner. Robert

You need to use a solid lead hammer, not a dead blow or lead filled. You need the solid shot to properly tighten them as they should be. It is not advised to use a lead filled hammer or any kind of protector!

The point of the lead hammer, is the lead deforms, not the spinner.

[A-Snake]

Originally Posted by Power Surge

The point of the lead hammer, is the lead deforms, not the spinner.

An added suggestion, once the lead hammer becomes well deformed, is to wrap it in an old sock. The sock will keep pieces of lead from flying in your face or across a painted surface.

[Aussie Mike]

I've got a couple of lead shot filled dead blow hammers and a solid lead hammer. The solid lead one definitely works better than the deadblow.

The solid lead ones really look a mess after a while. I wonder how hard it would be to re cast the head of the hammer. I've got a decent blow torch, I wonder if it would have enough heat to melt the whole head. Anyone try this?

Cheers

[ac andy]

Can anyone post a picture of how they think the spinners should be wired?

Andy.

[mln385]

Originally Posted by Aussie Mike

I've got a couple of lead shot filled dead blow hammers and a solid lead hammer. The solid lead one definitely works better than the deadblow.

The solid lead ones really look a mess after a while. I wonder how hard it would be to re cast the head of the hammer. I've got a decent blow torch, I wonder if it would have enough heat to melt the whole head. Anyone try this?

Cheers

They make molds you can buy to reheat and form your hammers to new.

Marc

[wtm442]

Originally Posted by ac andy

Can anyone post a picture of how they think the spinners should be wired?

Andy.

http://performanceunlimited.com/cobr...tructions.html

[EarlsflyinCobra]

Check this out...............pay close attention to Number SIX>>>>>>>>>>>

http://www.avweb.com/news/maint/191176-1.html


This is just general information intended to help educate and inform.................Thank You......

[EarlsflyinCobra]

Another safety wire discussion................hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....


http://community.discovery.com/eve/f...6/m/9111936369

[Power Surge]

Originally Posted by EarlsflyinCobra

Another safety wire discussion................hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....


http://community.discovery.com/eve/f...6/m/9111936369

I am guessing the original poster in this thread is talking about what's been discussed on this site, but he is COMPLETELY missing the boat. Nobody is wiring their spinners on the side that the knock off loosens to! We still put the wire on the side that would stop the knock off from loosening, but you leave it with a little slack instead of making it super tight. This way, every time you check the wire before a drive, if you've got a tight wire, you know the knock off needs a few whacks.

[HI Cobra]

In the mid 60's I had an XKE and a '55 MGA and both had knock offs.
I don't ever remember seeing anyone safety wiring knock offs at that time and
I never had any trouble taking them off or having them come loose.
I drove the snot out of both cars and maybe I was just lucky but just thought
I'd just mention this as a glimpse back in time as how things were then. I
didn't do any track driving so they may have been safety wiring the wheels
in those applications. I do safety wire my Kirkham - take no chances!

[Eric Page]

Here's a good video demonstration of safety wiring technique from the Experimental Aircraft Association. It's not about knock-offs, but you'll get the drift. There are lots of other how-to videos on their site that are applicable to car building too.

[HI Cobra]

Eric - thanks for posting the link. I bookmarked it. They do a great job of
showing and explaining how to and why. If it works for airplanes I'm sure
it is good for wrenching cars!

[Hal Copple]

for years and many thousands of miles, i never safety wired my tri-wing spinners. I just tapped on them with my dead blow hammer often, to ensure they stayed tight. I have found as i am sure others too, that it you wack on the spinners with a lead hammer, that eventually you may create a problem when the wheel needs to come off. So there is an art, so to speak, of sufficient tightening, so it stays on, yet is not impossible to remove. I use a dead blow urethane hammer to put the spinners on, with antiseize where needed, then drive the car a bit over a bumpy road, then recheck them, and then safety wire them. Safety wire somes in several gages or strengths, i use strong wire, and wire then spin it to twirl the wire, so that if the spinner were to start to turn and loosen, it is a direct pull on the wire. My wire is basically as close to a 90 degree perpendicular to the end of the spinner wing.

I drilled and slightly chamfered holes in each triwing end, so have three choices to get this angle, and keep the wire away from the air fill valve on the rim.

Thus far, in countless on and off's, i have never had significant difficulty in removing a spinner, nor one that came loose, or seemed too loose when i tapped on it to remove the spinner.

I am packed and prepped for a weekend at Kershaw, aka Carolinas Motorsports Park this weekend. Chris and I are running with the Porsche club. Put on the Vintage 17 inch wheels with the Michelin PS2 tires, and road tested the tires, checked them, then wired them as above. I wire then snug, without any "warning" slack.

I would rather have them snug, than risk loosing a tire because it became loose before i could re-check the "slack". I take the spinners off with a lead hammer.

Just my opinion, and wish Chris and I well this weekend.

all the best....