I have owned more than 18 VW Things since 1981. Some were used in our outfitting business here on the high desert of southern Idaho. One thing that became evident to me early on was the fact the screw in lug nuts were a weak point. Having the experience of losing a rear wheel while traveling with my wife & son in the car makes this a real safety upgrade for me as well. With the drums threaded and most tire shops having impact air wrenches there is a good chance of them over torqueing the lug nuts and stripping out the drums.

The front drums were for the most part trouble-free, but the rear type 181 drums were always having issues with the lug nuts stripping out the threads. This was especially common when the tire service work was done at a local tire store, where they used impact wrenches. Just about every time I went in to have a tie rod changed or new tires put on, they would just slap the impact on and strip a couple out before they understood I said not to use the impact and to go with a torque wrench set at 82 foot pounds.

I started putting studs into the drums back in 1988. These were for the off-road rigs and they do require a little work, but the results are well worth the effort of doing the project. The part number for the front studs are 70-2850 and are 14mmx 1.855. The rears are Part number 70-2810-0 and are 14mm x 2.20. These are EMPI Numbers.

First, in Figure 1 you see the wimpy stock screw in the lug nuts.

I guess they were okay in their day, but they had their problems as well when the rig went in to the tire shop with impact wrenches.

Here’s how to do it – start with a new set of drums if you have the cash. It’s better to put these into drums that are going to last for years. Don’t put these in marginal drums that have been used up. It is very important to use German drums on the fronts as well as the rear. Not much choice on the rears (German), but for the fronts, there are drums being made in China as well as Mexico and Brazil. Some of these don’t even have threaded holes in the right places.

Order the new studs and nuts from CIP1 or other good parts place Figure 2.

I like CIP1 because they have great shipping service, and they stand behind what they sell. The studs are rather robust and they will do the job Figure 3.

Figure 4- Close up of Part Number

The ones shown are for the front drums.

Using a 37/64 sharp drill bit, drill out the old threads (Figure 5).

Figure 5- Threads drilled with a 37/64 drill bit.

Just make sure you have the drum in a vise or use a drill press or some other way to keep the drill bit square with the world going in.

Figure 6 shows the inside of the drum.

Figure 6- Inside of drum after drilling.

Now take the studs and grind down just a tad on one edge to make sure it will not come into contact with the brake shoe (Figure 7).

Figure 7- Stud that has been ground flat to clear the brake shoe.

Now you can press the stud in with the flat side in position to clear the brake shoe (Figure 8).

Figure 8 – Pressing the stud in.

Larry Green and I picked up this little 20-ton press at a garage sale a few years back, ad it works well for this. When you press them in, make sure they are all the way in. They will look just like Figure 9.

Figure 9 – Newly pressed stud that will last as long as the drum.

The best part about these is they make putting on or taking off the wheel quick and easy. They are an added safety factor as well. If you need more information, feel free to contact me at mike@vwthing.us or visit my website at www.vwthing.us.