The pic below is what a ballpin in a bottom balljoint looks like after sliding on a metalled road for approx 15 metres with the initial speed at the time of contact between the pin and the ground being approx 60kph - this accidentaly occurs when one's automobile looses its front passenger side wheel at the said 60kph. Mental picture a front wheel suspended 2 metres in the air just above your front guard and a warm funny feeling fills your pants.

The said wheel then proceeds to fly across a 3 lane major road and hits the curb and bounces back - bounces quite interestingly right back into ones car - just as one finishes landing the 3 wheel vehicle by the side of the road and ironicaly congradulates one self for negotiating the said 3 lane road safely and not killing anyone - as the wheel hits the car it smashes the left hand side mirror and lands nicely next to the car without inflicting any other damage and most importantly without killing or atleast knocking anyone out.

NOW this ball pin is usualy twice as long and has a threaded end that passes through the bottom arm and is secured by a large nut and a spring washer -after the concrete glide the nut was nowhere to be found and the pin was flush with the arm (the RED section in the pic is the missing part). So remember kids - idealy your wheels should stay on the car.

Nice one Mike.
When I did that in the 850 back in 1965 I at least had 3mm of nut left, and the spring washer. I guess gravel is less abrasive than tarmac then.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Ok Dad thanks for the warning will ensure that the wheels stay on Granny ..

Dam thing to happen to you as well.. But you are lucky that this was the only damaged and it could have been a lot worse. But thank goodness it wasnt..

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Opinions expressed by me are of my opinion only and are copyrighted to Kinkabell Corporation? 2006.

Reason he lost wheel = some gorilla had stripped his Contessa wheelnuts, probably a tyre shop with a rattle gun.
The torque on those things is OK for 7/16" or 12mm nuts on modern cars, but not Minis which are 3/8" UNF..

I NEVER let tyre shops rattle mine on or off, I park outside and take my own wheels off.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

As long as you're OK Mike - like you said - could have been a LOT worse

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Bob Slattery
Duffman Says A Lot of Things - OH YEAH!!

Rattle guns are a lazy mans tool. Never let a workshop use them....always state you want the nuts tightened by hand before you leave your car.

Was the wheel damaged after all that? And did you get damage to your guard?

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Mini's....worse than drugs, but a much better FIX

Some rubbing on the tyre, a small scratch under the guard and a brocken mirror - thats it.

BTW on torque - what is the actual torque setting for wheel nuts you reckon? Surely cant be the 42 ft/lb given in the manual?

You just don't have any luck do you Mike

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Stop Licking the Dog...I Don't Care Who Started It

I don't know who tigtened the wheel nuts on our commodore but i had to use a breaker bar 6ft long (which bent) to undo them. I didn't even need a breaker bar that long to undo the flywheel bolt on my mini.

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I have had experiences with mushroomed wheel nuts (stand on a breaker bar to get em off)....and worce....loose....rattle guns are a menace in the wrong hands

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"Show me the Mini!"

I've seen wheel nuts pull right thru Mini steel wheels due to rattle guns...

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

I have had two occasions where the local garage did not have a jack low enough to go under my mini.
So they pinch the mini jack in the boot, get tired of winding it up and guess what ?? they rattle gun it up and they wreck the jack.

One occasion where the chrome wheel nuts on my contessa's strip with the rattle gun.

not happy jan !!!!

I once had two rear tyres fitted to my 1275 LS. I drove it home and when I got home one tyre was nearly flat (they had not changed the tubeless valve and it was leaking). I got out the wheel brace and broke two studs trying to undo the nuts. (never let an idiot use a rattle gun near a mini.)

42lbs/ft

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No offence intended here but--> anyone writing a book about minis 30 years ago may not have experienced such worn or stuffed-with components as we are finding these days.

You should put your heart & soul into everything you do.