Correct lugs for turbines?

My search tool and Google foo has let me down again, I'm pretty sure the info I seek is here someplace, I just can't find it.

A little "seeing eye dog" help please.

I have it on good authority that there are 2 different styles of holes, ( standard 60* tapered lugs and 2 flat washer types, Cragar style, open and acorn style, closed) and 3 (or more) styles of lug nuts to go with each bolt hole pattern on the turbines. Yup, I'm cornfused...

Would somebody please post pictures showing each style of hole and the correct lugs to go with each?

Part numbers, for the correct lugs, for each style, would be the holy grail.

I have open, tapered lugs, all the way around, but there is no tapered seat, on the rims I have, to receive the taper, just a bored hole, coined for a washer. (not tool coined, just a slight depression, cast in the wheel, around each hole)

I'm pretty sure that what I'm running now is incorrect and unsafe. I gotta get this figured out and corrected.

Thanks, Paul

I’ve been using turbines for over 20 years. Here’s what I have been able to find.

These wheels require a special  lugnut, seemingly available only from GM. These special lugnuts were, at one time, produced chrome plated, and cadmium plated, for use with “Dog-dish” covers. The chrome plated ones are “long gone”. When I checked a few years ago, the cadmium plated nuts were still available from GM.

Corvette. somewhere about 1990, used an almost identical lugnut on a similar wheel, and these are available aftermarket. Unfortunately, they will not work, since Corvette uses a smaller stud.
I have looked, although not recently, through aftermarket offerings from many companies, and have been unable to find a suitable replacement.

I personally feel that the use of conventional, tapered-seat lugnuts on these wheels is a dangerous situation.
On another forum, a few years ago, someone decided that they were going to machine seats into the wheel to allow the use of conventional lugnuts.
My reply was that I hoped that he didn’t intend to carry passengers in his Buick!

The information in the first post is correct. Early Turbines require the flat washer nut. Don't have a pic. I do, however, own a set of the late Turbines that take the conventional acorn seat nut.

Well, there always something to be learned. I’ve had two sets of these wheels and seen many more, in junkyards, auto flea markets, etc, but I never knew GM made them for standard (conical seat) lugnuts. Perhaps I’ve seen them and just didn’t notice.

The diameter of the hole on my wheels (washer indent) is .9 inch. I’m guessing that this is larger than the hole diameter of the wheels shown above. It could be possible, I guess, to have tapered seats cut into the wheels, if a large diameter lugnut could be found that would still fit the ½-20 stud. I believe that a standard lugnut, for steel wheels would pull most of the way through the hole eventually, if not initially. From memory, the steel wheels have a smaller hole.

Another interesting observation: the center cap shown is considerably different from the ones that I have, and have seen. Mine can be seen in my “intro” post in this forum. The ones I have are difficult to find, and when they are found they are very expensive, since they are the same as used on certain Buick Grand Nationals. They are problematic since after a short period of time, they become loose and spin in the wheel, wearing the mounting tabs, making the problem worse, until they eventually “fly off”!
Some people wind duct tape around the tabs to tighten them; I use hot-glue.

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Above is a picture showing the lugnut for the wheels I have, and a conventional steel wheel nut. The turbine lugnut shows a taper on the end. I’m fairly sure the reason for this is so that it can be also used on a steel wheel (spare tire). I have been unable to find a part number for either the chrome or cadmium turbine nuts.

For reference, the thickness of my wheel, measured from the back of the wheel to the bottom of the washer indent is .775 inch. The washer indent is .130 inch deep, making the total wheel thickness .905 inch at the raised “bosses” at the stud holes.

The center cap on my wheels is from a Corvette. Buick emblems added.

Your acorn nut is a steel wheel part, aluminum wheels should use a "bulge" seat acorn:



You can run the narrow steel acorn nut, but the hex parts will cut into the wheel a bit.

You may want to try calling Moe at Tires2Go is Mesa, Arizona. This is a Father and Son's run business. This guy specializes in custom applications. 480-332-3270. 480-567-0007. He may be able to help.