reverse thread wheel studs- Anyone else have these?

[ToxicWolf]

Yes, it ended in 1970.  Your 73 was changed at some point.  My October 72 built 73 has all RH.

I think Barry Washington posted the factory TSB that stated when LH lug nuts were stopped.

   Some hardcore Mopar person changed them out.   

[HP2]

Or swapped them with better condition salvage yard replacements from an earlier vehicle. I've seen conflicting info on the exact change over year.

Studebaker used left hand lugs and I think early Buicks did too. Mopar wasn't the exclusive user of these, but did  hang on to it longer than anyone else.

[TelisSE440]

Always wondered why they did that      Would tend to keep the lugs from backing off   

Exactly that, the spinning wheel (if it was the driver's side) would tend to unbolt the nuts if the lug threads were right handed. Of course if the nuts were torqued properly, no problem occured but if someone didn't screw the lugs enough and the threads were left handed then the nuts would tend to screw in and bolt to some extent but the wheel never dropped off. There is a nice article about how MOPAR was in front off everyone in terms of technological prowess at this subject.

http://www.moparmax.com/columns/magnante/v_5-2.html
http://www.moparmax.com/columns/magnante/v_5-3.html
http://www.moparmax.com/columns/magnante/v_5-4.html

[roadman5312]

Exactly that, the spinning wheel (if it was the driver's side) would tend to unbolt the nuts if the lug threads were right handed. Of course if the nuts were torqued properly, no problem occured but if someone didn't screw the lugs enough and the threads were left handed then the nuts would tend to screw in and bolt to some extent but the wheel never dropped off. There is a nice article about how MOPAR was in front off everyone in terms of technological prowess at this subject.

http://www.moparmax.com/columns/magnante/v_5-2.html
http://www.moparmax.com/columns/magnante/v_5-3.html
http://www.moparmax.com/columns/magnante/v_5-4.html

                   Very good read, thanks 

[Chryco Psycho]

Freightliner & Western Star trucks still do this , of course these are part of Daimler

[EB3-GranCoupe]

Leave it to the engineers to design a car......

 

[dpcd67]

It was common with Military vehicles and some civilian ones (Mopar was always ahead of the game, engineering wise), to have the left side (I hesitate to say driver's side since many were built with right hand drive for the Brits) lug nuts with left hand threads. The theory as above, the spinning wheel will tend to keep them tight.  All WM series Power Wagons have that feature, as do all WW2 Jeeps and post war jeeps up to about 1970 (which were not Chrysler).  Funny thing; tank road wheels have all right hand thread, and they were all designed by Chrysler, and built there until the tank plant was sold to GD.