How to get rid of those nasty wheel Locks. I recently was plaqued with a 70 SKylark that had the optional wheel locks from your favorite auto parts store (enter stores name). I have approximatly 8 of these specialty locks. I could have bought the $100 tool that is designed to remove these. and put the tool up for decades. So while I was at the tire shop I told them of my problem. I told them I did not want to buy the tool because it would be a one time deal. The Manager told me that they use either a 21mm deepwell Socket or a 24mm deepwell Socket. I spent about $4 on the 21 MM socket and it fit perfect then I hammered it on. once on I used a breaker bar the ones I removed came of nicely. Just need to get the lug out of the socket. That is your choice on how to remove it. goodluck!
Being a former tire monkey... Simply tap the socket on a hard surface, rotating it around as you go. It will come out. When I say tap it, do it hard, and tap the socket so it is horizontal. You will see the lug slowly working its way out. Good Luck!!
Oh yeah... Did it all the time. You just have to hit the side of the socket with a BFH.. with the socket sitting on the cement or a piece of steel(takes a little bit, but it will come out).Allways wear saftey glasses.:TU: BTW... I'd only do that with the Hardened Impact sockets:eek2:
If you troll through Harbor Freight once in a while you will find their generic version of the wheel lock removal kit for usually less than $20. Good money spent in my opinion. regards Ken Warner
Very good info guys. Once I put the socket on with a ball peen hammer it came off like butter when using a breaker bar. As for getting the lugs off the socket. It takes some work. Ken thanks for the harbor freight idea.
me too I've lost a number of wheel lock keys over the years. Once I found out how easy they are to defeat, I stopped buying the locks.
When I bought my 67, it came with an ancient set of beat all to heck Cragar SS wheels, WITH four wheel locks and WITHOUT any kind of key to remove them. :af: Not real easy access to put a socket on. After a little thinking on the subject, I took out my "universal wheel lock key" :Brow: (aka: Hammer and cold chisel). You know, that key fit every one of those locks just like it was made for them and they came right off, with only a little bit of appropriate dialogue.....:laugh:
I used vice grips on the ones that my 70 had. I scratched one of my painted rally's though. Good thing they weren't chrome!!
Got four off so far... only 2 more to go. Now I need to buy a 24mm socket. for the bigger sized wheel locks.
At a garage I worked at we used a hacksaw to put a slot in the top, then used an oversized screwdriver as a lever to get it off. Sometimes we just used a chisel to spin it off.
All these ideas you guys are posting are fine for some wheels but for most fwd wheels they will only work if you're willing to bugger up the wheel. Chisels, welding rods, vise grips etc just won't do the job without damaging the wheel if they can do the job at all. Not to mention most just won't work if someone really "hammered" the lock on with an impact (like they tell you not to). I will say that the lock removal kits work best when you have your own impact to put them on with. First you spin the day lights out of the lock remover on top of the lock. This gets it hot and makes it expand a bit. Then leave the lock remover but pull the impact off and let it set a minute or two so the metal contracts and gets a better grip on the lock. Now install your breaker bar or ratchet with torque-0-matic extension pipe and remove. Works like a champ 9 out of 10. regards
Mr Ken Warner is precisely right, thats exactly how they should be removed with proper tools. Or pay 8$ bucks a lug to get them removed from tire shops. But Im not as fortunate to have pneumatic tools, I use the old beefcake tecnique.:beer
