So decided to start stripping my car to get it ready for paint in the next few months.

But, as always the car has other ideas and trying to remove the first locking wheel bolt the key has just rounded with the breaker bar on its shortest extension! Must be metal fatigue or something.. anyway.

Has anyone (maybe one of you unsavory characters) got a method for removing mcgard wheel bolts without the key?

 

can you smack a socket on and remove it that way?

 

I was under the assumption that mcgard lockers were hardened to prevent this?

I'll give it a go when the old man is about as hes got loads of old socket sets.

You can get a replacement key from them if you have the documents that come with them. However mine were just chucked in with my alloys when I bought them.

 

have you got a picture of which style you have?

 

Something like this worked for me:


Depends if you've room around the head.

 

yes
Irwin Bolt Grip Fastener Remover Expansion Set
http://tooltray.com/Screw-Extractors...FZIPtAod-X4AhA

or something like:
http://www.dynomec.co.uk/

good luck! even with this method it can be very difficult depending on the wheel!

 

I've got this style:

 

looks like the outet spins on it, what we've done before it broke off the ring and smacked a socket over it, that works quite well

 

There's not that many keys for McGard bolts - despite what they say, less than 10 from memory and a good alloy wheel shop will keep all the keys as spares if that helps.

If not smack a socket on it!

 

Nah nothing spins they are the solid type. I'll have a bash with the sockets later, if that fails i'll probably just stick a nut on it, and weld the middle of the nut to it!

One of my friends on facebook just said this. A garage near by has a handful of mcgard keys as there is not that many.

 

twist sockets and a hammer

 

Yeah either an *irwin twist socket

*a hardend wheel socket and a hammer

Or weld a nut on it.

Removed enough of these in my time and can safely say they are an utter pain in the arse lol

 

I have the dynomec kit and it great for removing these types of locking wheel nuts,you basicly hammer a blank section of metal (which is in the kit) and it moulds to the shape of the locking nut

 

Just a quick update. Borrowed one of those Irwin tools, and it was softer than the wheel bolt so it just mashed all the thread out of it.

However, managed to get 3 of them off by hammering on a socket at a slight angle.
Luckily my old man had some of his ancient socket sets from when he had his CAT D5 when people made tools to last
Just the drivers side front left but it being a right pain, it seems a bit softer then the rest as the socket just chewed the outside of it off!

 

I have removed several sets of mcguard from old cars by simply smashing a 21mm socket over them.

Use a cheap socket as they are bit softer and easier to get on, plus you mash them a bit. To get the old nut out the socket, vice and punch required.

They are pretty shit tbh and not that hard to get off, but will slow a thief down 10mins and make a bit of a noise...

 

Mine are 19, tried 3 different sockets, an irwin remover... no luck at all.

Even got one of the other ones I managed to get out and tried welding a nut to it. However where its polished and hardened the weld just would take to it strong enough.

 

also worth trying the two different types of socket, those with six sides inside and those with loads and seeing if either will do it.

Glad you got some of them off. I've got a few to remove soon and a couple of sockets with old wheel nuts in

 

Ah, i guess they ar e different sizes for different cars then - thinking about it it does make sense but id have assumed ford were all the same??

i done it on mine and a mates mk6 escorts.

if metric sizes are no good, try imperial, they do take a bit to whack on and its a bit worrying as if you miss you will clout the wheel.

i used the 12 sided sockets if that helps

 

Well after trying 3 different sizes, all with different spline counts I had no luck. I visited my local mechanic to see if he could help out.

He used a similar tool to those irwin bolt grip's, but it looked like it was made from proper metal this time
Few serious thrashes with a hammer, breaker bar on, half a turn, and the top of the bolt just fell out! The hardened part with the key pattern in the top is splined into the bolt! So we lined it up with the splines slightly out and smashed it home, one more turn and out it came!

What a saga that turned out to be!