My cheap Montero is, as you know, proving itself to be a bit of the opposite as of late. Things are dripping. Slaves are revolting. And recently, a wheel stud decided to break away from its group. While test fitting a new set of wheels and tires, one of the six lugs on my driver-side front wheel snapped clean off. A quick glance of my mechanic’s guide (AKA YouTube) shows that this is actually a pretty easy fix. Unless you have a vehicle with captive rotors. Guess which kind I have…

What I also have is a friend with a lift. Richard Radcliffe, who is essentially the unofficial Chief Mechanic of Hooniverse, let me drive over to his spot so he could lend a hand with this repair. I assumed he would lend a hand. What he did instead was dive in and do 95% of the work. But I watched, and this process was quickly demystified for me. You see, I’ve never taken apart a wheel hub. I assumed that once I loosened a few bolts, there would be clips and bearings shooting off into the nether spaces of my garage. Instead, this was a straight forward process of removing the various layers that connect truck to brakes, wheel, and tire.

Lift it on up

Working on a vehicle that’s on a lift is definitely a much better experience than one on jack stands. That said, this is a repair I could’ve easily managed in my garage. Once the rotor and hub assembly was separated from the wheel, they were separated from each other. That allowed clear access to the busted wheel stud. A hammer knocked out the old stud. The simple method of applying washers and then the lug nut drew in the new stud. This was tightened together and the stud gradually took its new spot as a member of the Montero wheel hub party.

As easy as this fix proved to be, it was invaluable having someone with knowledge of how to handle the fix. Rather than turn to the Internet, my Haynes, or texting friends, Rick was on hand and I could ask him questions about any part of the process. And now my truck is ready to receive its new shoes.