Outer Limits 4x4 Board

I have 5 GU rims that were a bit rough around the edges. I got them for nothing from a Nissan dealer years ago.

I had them powder coated in mettalic dark grey almost black. It is called Onyx.

The current nissan wheel nuts are rusted . A dealer quoted for anodised black nuts at $6.20 each trade price, that would total over 120 dollars which seems an excessive excercise.

Thought it maybe cheaper to have the old nuts powder coated but I am unsure how that will affect the outside dimensions of the nut where they won't fit in the wheel brace.

Anyone had their old wheel nuts powder coated, did it make a real difference to the overall size and is the paint durable enough to make it worthwhile???

I will price the powder coating tomorrow but need a bit more info-+.

You could get them galvanised. You will need to tap the threads afterwards though.

They will start off shiny silver, then fade to matt grey.

if you have a wheel brace that has 4 sizes on it, then i rekon you would be fine. from memory nissan nuts are 19mm? next size up on the brace is 21mm so you would go close to a near perfect fit to that after powdercoating i rekon

Zink plating would be my choice thin layer dosen't come off easily and will lest forever while looking good

I think the wheel brace will chip the powder coating away when tightening or removing nuts.
Chrome plated nuts have the same problem, and chrome is harder than powder coat.

Mr Lugnut in Devon Meadows. He's got heaps of nuts!!!

Or just go to the local tyre store and but cheap open ended nuts, this way they don't clog up with mud during trackside repairs.

80's_delirious wrote:I think the wheel brace will chip the powder coating away when tightening or removing nuts.
Chrome plated nuts have the same problem, and chrome is harder than powder coat.

I concur. Powdercoat will fail.

Standard powdercoat is 0.5mm thick so it would mean a 1mm increase in size. Powdercoat will chip off not long after u start to use them. Best to get the ano ones and from memory unless u know someone or it is not a standard colour, minimum set up charge is around $120 by memory.

im sure you could buy a set of nuts cheaper than that..
especially for a full set rather than individual

j-top paj wrote:im sure you could buy a set of nuts cheaper than that..
especially for a full set rather than individual

I hope you are correct.

I take note of all the posted comments about the powder coating being damaged by the wheel brace. It maybe prudent just to clean up the old nuts with a wire brush, coat them with rust kill then paint them black via a can of paint.

You may be careful and avoid damage using the wheel brace...
But the monkey at the Tyre shop using the rattle gun to over tighten the nuts will certainly rip the powder coating off.

I dont think it comes to care taken. the force required to torque up the nuts is the same wether its a monkey with a rattle gun or a princess in a tutu swinging on a wheel brace

the last lot of chrome plated nuts I used were chipped after the 2nd or 3rd wheel change, done by me with a wheel brace, but Im no princess

chrome plated nuts are ~$5ea, zinc electroplated ~$2-3ea

I use CRC Bright Zinc on mine. Lasts well, I had to retouch them all after I lost one last year.

The sockets only touch the nuts on the corners, so most of any coating will stay intact.

Hit them on the wire wheel on the bench grinder, 2 coats of spray can black Kill Rust (matt or gloss your call). DONE! Repeat when necessary...

mine are never that clean to see the wheel nuts in that level of detail i had to knock off the mud with a hammer and screw driver to find the valve stems on my beadlocked play rims!!

Just go and buy some from a tyre/wheel shop. They charge $2.50 for chrome acorn ones here, and $3.00 for the special flanged and fancy ones. So $60-$80.

I'm nearly due for some new wheel nuts myself.

Ever thought about parkerising them?

Put them on a steel bench, heat them with an oxy until they are glowing bright red and the drop them straight into a pot of old diesel engine oil.

It will turn them black and they wont rust.

POS wrote:Put them on a steel bench, heat them with an oxy until they are glowing bright red and the drop them straight into a pot of old diesel engine oil.

It will turn them black and they wont rust.

Sounds good but does that weeken the nut through heating?

RN wrote:

POS wrote:Put them on a steel bench, heat them with an oxy until they are glowing bright red and the drop them straight into a pot of old diesel engine oil.

It will turn them black and they wont rust.

Sounds good but does that weeken the nut through heating?

heating and dropping in oil hardens steel

RN wrote:

POS wrote:Put them on a steel bench, heat them with an oxy until they are glowing bright red and the drop them straight into a pot of old diesel engine oil.

It will turn them black and they wont rust.

Sounds good but does that weeken the nut through heating?

As above, it will harden the steel, but also make it slightly more brittle (which shouldn't be an issue).

cheaper still go to the wreckers and get some covers for ya nuts

ISUZUROVER wrote:

RN wrote:

POS wrote:Put them on a steel bench, heat them with an oxy until they are glowing bright red and the drop them straight into a pot of old diesel engine oil.

It will turn them black and they wont rust.

Sounds good but does that weeken the nut through heating?

As above, it will harden the steel, but also make it slightly more brittle (which shouldn't be an issue).

BUT, if the thread in your nuts is only so-so (a few dags here and there), tempering the nuts will only cause you problems. The material the nuts are made of is supposed to be softer than the studs for a reason.

coxy321 wrote: BUT, if the thread in your nuts is only so-so (a few dags here and there), tempering the nuts will only cause you problems. The material the nuts are made of is supposed to be softer than the studs for a reason.

Says who??? I have seen plenty of stripped studs, never seen a stripped nut. Studs are easy to replace.

You want a set of Chrome capped nuts? I got a set in the shed... $50

ISUZUROVER wrote:

coxy321 wrote: BUT, if the thread in your nuts is only so-so (a few dags here and there), tempering the nuts will only cause you problems. The material the nuts are made of is supposed to be softer than the studs for a reason.

Says who??? I have seen plenty of stripped studs, never seen a stripped nut. Studs are easy to replace.

Other way around for me - seen plenty of flogged out nuts, but only a very small handfull of stripped studs.

i must say ive experienced more stripped nuts than studs...

replaced many nuts on various vehicles i have owned and only one stud on one vehicle (my GU and i still think it was the dude at the tire shops fault)

stripped studs a few times, never stripped a nut yet.

benhl wrote:Hit them on the wire wheel on the bench grinder, 2 coats of spray can black Kill Rust (matt or gloss your call). DONE! Repeat when necessary...

mine are never that clean to see the wheel nuts in that level of detail i had to knock off the mud with a hammer and screw driver to find the valve stems on my beadlocked play rims!!

I gave them a clean up with a wire brush, then painted them with kill rust ( black gloss) as you suggested. I should have waited a few more hours for the paint to cure as portion came off when I tightened them up. Overall they look better than before. Will have another go later.