Just bought a 68 FLH rolling chassis. I have started disassembling what I have. On the rear wheel, the lug bolts were replaced with hex head bolts that have been drilled and safety wired. Why would this have been done?

 

Ummmm...To keep the bolts from backing out???????

Why else would you safety wire a fastener?

As to why the person did not just use the OEM parts, you would have to ask him, I think.

 

I know the theory behind safety wire. It just seems like a lot of trouble to go through. I didn't know if this was a typical fix for a known issue.

 

the original bolts are tapered into the hub -

regular fasteners are not even close to being right - wired or not

 

Common practice on aircraft and some race cars, guy might have had experience in those fields. You can get lock tabs that bend over and lock the original style bolt, think I'd use those before safety wire in this application. Safety wire can often stretch enough to lose some of the torque value, and if they loosened enough for the rotor or pulley, whichever you're talking about, for a slight movement, it would wear and eventually break the bolt off, even if it couldn't turn very far; those bolts take a pounding. Proper torque on the right kind of bolt and a drop of loctite, those bolts should never come loose. Something like a muffler bolt wouldn't be a bad idea to safety wire, lot of vibration, a common bolt to lose - I've lost one, the bolt, not the muffler.

 

^^^ This... Thats why they are "lug Bolts"!!!

 

A- without the taper they will back out, maybe not completely due to the safety wire, but enough to get everything loose then bad things happen.

B- someone did it because they thought it looked "cool"

 

Agree... again
Cool beats Functional every time....

 

The oem tapered lug bolts (screw wheel mounting socket pt # 43530-35A) will center and secure the wheel hub to the brake drum, preventing any forward or backwards movement/rotation between the two. Using regular bolts you take the risk of forward and backward movement/rotation between the wheel hub and brake drum, making the holes in the wheel hub oblong causing excessive vibration, then trashing the wheel hub and possibly locking up the rear wheel.

 

He was an airplane or Necular Submarine mechanic.I put wheel weights on my wheelbarrow and riding lawn mower wheels...that most just to get a laugh.