[ xj6 / xj40 / sovereign ] new alloy wheels: nuts won't fi..

Hi All,
I got the opportunity to take off my expensive metric tyres and buy
some nice secondhand 15'' 5 spoke alloys (believe after-market) with
nearly new tyres on. Very pleased, got them cheap c/o ebay: they
came off a 92 sovereign being broken privately and look very smart:
do not fowl the calipers.

They arrived and I was keen to get them on my car, unfortunately I
found that my short wheel nuts were too short to securely hold them
and my socket a little to wide for the holes: very snug. I
contacted the seller to ask if for a small charge I could have his
wheel-nuts, but he's already thrown them away. Does anyone know of
how/where I may be able to get a cheap set that fits or of other
cars which have the same screw thread with longer stems on the nuts?

Thank you as always.
--
WayneS 1989 xj40 Sovereign 3.6 Artic Blue
UK, United Kingdom

WayneS wrote:
> Hi All,
> I got the opportunity to take off my expensive metric tyres and buy
> some nice secondhand 15'' 5 spoke alloys (believe after-market) with
> nearly new tyres on. Very pleased, got them cheap c/o ebay: they
> came off a 92 sovereign being broken privately and look very smart:
> do not fowl the calipers.
>
> They arrived and I was keen to get them on my car, unfortunately I
> found that my short wheel nuts were too short to securely hold them
> and my socket a little to wide for the holes: very snug. I
> contacted the seller to ask if for a small charge I could have his
> wheel-nuts, but he's already thrown them away. Does anyone know of
> how/where I may be able to get a cheap set that fits or of other
> cars which have the same screw thread with longer stems on the nuts?
>
> Thank you as always.
> --
> WayneS 1989 xj40 Sovereign 3.6 Artic Blue
> UK, United Kingdom
>

My suggestion would be to figure out what differences in nut measurement
you need... eg, determine about what the desired wheel nut would be, then
make a sketch with dimensions and thread spec and contact some
wheel nut vendors to see if they have anything close.

http://www.mr-lugnut.com/
http://www.performancemarket.com/wheelpa.htm

Alternately you could look the wheels over carefully for markings
(if none found, have a tire removed and check the inside for markings).
If you find some, but they shed no clue as to the manufacturer, contact
the tech support dept of a maker of aftermarket wheels and they can
probably tell from the markings who the manufacturer was so you can
contact THAT maker about obtaining the correct wheel nuts.

All that said, I have a similar problem in that I am missing two lug
nuts for a set of aftermarket wire wheels for a 1980 Cadillac; the company
that made the wheels is out of business, and I still haven't found the
lugs I need
(these have an undersized hex head for socket clearance between spokes...
I did once find a set of these lugs, but the seller wouldn't break the
set and
wanted $120.

I have another similar issue with a missing unique trim ring on a set of
aftermarket wire wheels that came on a '79 Jaguar XJS I purchased.
I've been checking eBay for years, looking for that trim ring.

Buyer beware!

....WayneC