Are your nuts safe?

[jandj]

I figured that would get your attention! Here's the deal: Fun kart or race kart, every bolt in your steering, your brakes, and anything else you don't want to fall off should be drilled and pinned. Cotter pin, Barry pin, Rue pin, it doesn't matter as long as it's secured. Nylock nuts aren't enough. Crush nuts are better but can be a pain in the *** on things you frequently take loose. We get a lot of "I want to go as fast as I can" posts, nothing will ruin your day like a brake bolt or steering bolt coming loose while you're doing that....in my humble opinion.

 

[Joe-405]

I had a bolt fall out of my steering column last time i rode my shifter kart. Hence the reason its getting a complete makeover now ! I was in the top of 5th or 6th and aiming for the curb. Slammed on the brakes and it killed the engine and slid in the grass just before the curb.

 

[J_Walker]

my nuts are safe! They're always safe!

also invest in a torque wrench. torque your bolts down. less problems.

 

[mckutzy]

I had wanted to drill all my fasteners on my bike. I ended up doing a few things more or less for aesthetics.

I looked into the drilling of the nuts, and there is a jig to hold the nut while you drill the hole. It kinda is for use with a drill press, well the best results are using a drill press.
Also I wasn't able in my area to find some wire for tying all the bolts and nuts together, I just used bailing wire( I know its not the proper stuff).

On my next bike Ill wire the lot together, I like that look any ways.



Good points, thanks.

 

[jandj]

Here's a tip for drilling bolts: Get a square nut the thread size of the bolt and clamp it in your press, drill a hole the size for the pin all the way through. Now take the bolt and run a nut down on it. Thread the square nut down to where you want the hole then run the first bolt up against it to lock it. You can either use your press to drill the bolt or put it in a vise and use a hand drill. Also, when safety wiring don't thread more than two nuts together.

 

[fowler]

I'd agree im with j walker

If your worried about bolts coming loose then get a torque wrench

Or do every thing up to NFS
Iv never had a standard nut come loose after 100s of hours of vibration in a bulldozer

Unlesd it's a spinning shaft
Then it must be pinned / retained

 

[jandj]

Y'all are free to do what you want. My opinion is that a cotter pin is cheap insurance when that bolt you torqued comes untorqued. May never happen but a 30 cent pin may save you a lot of grief. There's a reason you go through tech when you race, the same reason applies to your fun kart.

 

[qtband]

I got a ticket last week for not having a hubcap on my car. Cop said it's illegal to drive around with my nuts exposed.....

 

[Felineman]

Here's a tip for drilling bolts: Get a square nut the thread size of the bolt and clamp it in your press, drill a hole the size for the pin all the way through. Now take the bolt and run a nut down on it. Thread the square nut down to where you want the hole then run the first bolt up against it to lock it. You can either use your press to drill the bolt or put it in a vise and use a hand drill. Also, when safety wiring don't thread more than two nuts together.

I love it. Always had trouble doing that, Its so simple I overlooked the simplicity of the answer.

 

[fowler]

I got a ticket last week for not having a hubcap on my car. Cop said it's illegal to drive around with my nuts exposed.....

Ha
I'd have shown him exposed nuts

What an idiot
What do all the cars with alloys do
Or all the 4x4s

Gotta hate that
We have a system over here called a yellow sticker
Which basically says the at is in road worthy
U have 14 days to fix it and put it up for inspection

Any cop can put one on our car even if he has no mechanical training or doesn't understand the laws
In a system of innocent till proven guilty this is an exemption
Even if the car has nothing wrong with it u still get a $350 fine straight out

Obviously it is to stop people driveing flogged out junk on the road
Or to stop people modding their car in an unsafe manner

Big the cops use it as a way to punish suspending hoons
Basically any car that looks fast
Or any modified 4x4
And they can get u for real little things
Or fine u for things that arnt even ilegal

Like someone that got done in a supra because they couldn't turn off there fog lights
Exept they were DDL
So they're on when ever the ignition is on

I got done for haveing 35on my pickup
They stuck out the guard by 3/4 of and inch

 

[Felineman]

Don't go there I got one for some fracking kid bending my antenna they said it was too close to the windshield and it wasn't even within a foot of the dam glass

 

[mckutzy]

I did another search again on the jigs, here what they look look to the untrained.

Also a good idea if one has less of patients, is use locking tab washers.

 

[Felineman]

Gives me an idea to make one think I have some steel the right size somewhere in my scrap bin

 

[mckutzy]

I think the jig is hard, but for a few bolt it dont really matter that much. Mind you, just heating it up really hot and dunking in motor oil will harden it up good(oh that provided it a tool steel). Give a quick sand blast to remove the scale, run some taps to clear the threads.

 

[88nightrider]

I did another search again on the jigs, here what they look look to the untrained.

How much would something like those be priced at?

 

[mckutzy]

I'm sorry I didn't look at the sites, just looked at the google pics.

Edit: Here is a place I found, $32 for the one above.
https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/productdetails.asp?RecID=5738


Here is another place.
http://www.grahamtool.com/safetywiredrilljigs.aspx

 

[ampedtech]

I have a T-shirt that sez: "Use loctite or loose your nuts"

Got it at Sturgis.

Lock wire is even better!