I had forgotten about this

Ricci.Wright

In high school I had a ’69 Dodge Dart which needed rear brakes. Though not being entirely sure how to tackle the job, I went at it with all the zeal of a teen with car dreams.

The first order of business was to remove the rear tire. As I recall, I started on the driver’s side first, using the Mopar provided tire iron. Struggle, grunt and strain; as much as I tried to loosen the lug nuts, I could NOT get them loose. Eventually, I liberally applied a popular spray on stuck-nut solvent. With a LOT of effort, I finally got the first lug nut to begin to turn. However, just as soon at it began to turn, I noticed the wheel lug stud itself was breaking in the process. I could not believe how stuck on these nuts were! I moved on to the second, which was just as stuck. Again, with a considerable amount of effort, it began to turn, only to break that lug off as well. Same with the third and then the fourth. Stepping back, looking over the situation and considering how I was ever going to fix this dilemma, I began to wonder, “Was it possible the nuts could be reverse thread?”, a concept that up to that point I had never heard of.

Sure enough, with just a bit of effort (which is all I had left at that point!), the fifth and final lug nut easily spun free, lug fully intact. Later, someone told me that Mopar made the driver’s side wheel lug nut and stud threads reverse (left hand) thread so that “the wheel tended to want to tighten the lug nuts as it rolled down the road” to prevent it from inadvertently coming loose. After installing four new lugs, and completing the brake job, I was back on the road.

 Not my car, I just copied this from Rock Auto newsletter.

dreher

I got the same lesson from a 60 something International pickup.  I had a flat driving my F-in-Ls pickup.  No problem, I knew how to change a tire!!  That was more than a lot of my friends knew!!  I jacked up ol' pickup truck and went to work removing the lug nuts.  Luckily I was not as strong as you were and did not break anything.

Since I couldn't get the lug nut loose, I thought, just maybe, if I turn the lug nut the wrong way, it just might break it loose so I can turn it off the correct way.  Hey, you guys weren't real bright either when you were 18 or 19!            My thinking may have been faulty but the results were great, the lug nuts came off!! 

TANK78Z

I seem to recall the studs that were  left hand threaded had a L embossed on the exposed end

JohnEReb

When I worked at Firestone in the 1970s I remember the VWs were left handed threads. My boss always joked how it was Germany's revenge for losing the war.

Horse Plains Drifter

All medium/heavy trucks are that way. Imagine if you will, back in the era of stud piloted wheels and "Bud" nuts, removing/installing wheels that some jackwagon has been working on. I have, on more than one occasion, seen right and left hand studs on the same wheel. 

Butchdog2

Ran into the same problem on a 87 KW-800 tandem. Right side came off easy, 10 foot cheater would not budge the left side wheel nuts. Called the gentleman that did my grading work to see if a 1 inch impact wrench, He asked what I was doing? Can't get nuts of the left side of truck. He said I think you are going at it bassacards, duh, look for the L.