Wheel Hangers

One of the most frustrating things that the average late model Ferrari owner does is to line up the bolt holes and get the first hub bolt in when putting a wheel back on the car. To do this you need to have four hands and be a weight lifter. This job can be greatly simplified by a wheel hanger or two. These can be purchased commerically and are very pretty and chromed. They go for $30 or so. However you can make your own for much less. You need to know the size of your wheel bolts. In my case (348 Spider) they are 14mm diameter 1.5 thread (fine thread). I suspect that most of the late model Ferraris are the same. This is a standard metric size but not commonly stocked at your corner hardware store. You will probably need to go to a contractor fastner supply outlet. Purchase several hex head bolts 14m x 1.5 that are at least 4 inches long but longer is better if you can get them. I was able to purchase three for less than $7. Take them home and hacksaw the heads off. Grind down any sharp edges left by the sawing and you now have some wheel hangers. Hand screw two of these hangers into the bare hub. Lift the wheel and slide it onto these hangers. Your wheel is now lined up and you can easily screw in one of the hub bolts. Once one bolt is in and snug, unscrew the hangers with your hands and install the other hub bolts. Four inches is plenty long for the front wheels but is marginal on the rear. Try to find some that are longer. They can be purchased on the web if you can't find them locally but will cost more. One web source is www.boltdepot.com which has some that are 5" long for about $5 each.