this morning I went to remove the wheels from a project car that I bought,
and found that it had locking lug nuts on it. Of course the previous owner
hadn't given me the keyed socket for them, and when I called him he said
that he "thought" the socket was in the glove compartment and hung up.
I was ready to chisel them off and probably ruin the wheels, when I
remembered that my wife had given me a set of special Craftsman sockets for
removing rounded off nuts and bolts. They are shaped like a spiral inside,
so the harder you turn the more they bite into the nut or bolt.
I grabbed the size that was closest to the lug nut size, tapped it on a lug
nut gently with a hammer, and I was able to remove the lug nut easily. I did
the same thing with all the rest without the slightest problem!
I've been stuck with the locking lug nut problem several times, and in the
past it has always meant torching or chiseling off the lug nuts, then
changing the studs!
I figured I'd share this tip since it's a GREAT thing as far as I'm
concerned!