I'm trying to set by hand tools the 3 studs for the part that holds the tire. Teraflex says if you can't have them pressed in hand tools should do it. My question is how far in do the studs go? I've got them to part near the the flat had that have grooves. Do they need to go all the way to the flat part of the head?

 

Ideally, yes.


I did one by hand, stripped the threads clean out of a lug nut and it still didn't seat all the way in. I did another and paid $20 to have them pressed in.

 

+1. I struggled mightily with one, couldn't get it all the way in, so I took it to a shop with a press. A jeeper happened to be working at the time and did them for me for free, but I would have paid good money, lol.

 

I tried to do it myself by hand but couldn't seat them all the way. It was a ball buster. One problem is that you run out of threads on the stud before it seats completely. The other is it is just a bear to do by hand. I ended up throwing in the towel and taking it to my buddies shop. 5 minutes, a few large washers and they seated them easily with air gun.
Have it mounted and absolutely no issues so far with a 37" tire

 

Option one is get a stud seater. Use a impact to run it in with a nut.

Option two is to make a spacer and an impact to run it in with a open lug nut.

Do these all the time on hubs when other shops screw up studs.

 

your bound to booger up the threads on either the lug or the stud with the hand tool method. If you support the plate properly, 3 swings with a BFH and she sill be seated.

 

Went to a local shop and they chewed up the threads using an impact gun trying to set them. They ended up pressing in new ones for 7 bucks!

 

You can't beat that

 

I'm no expert, but the small press that are sold locally are nothing more than a bottle jack with some steel 'I' beams. Could you simply use a car jack to "press" the bolts into the backplate? Maybe use the frame under the Jeep to provide back pressure against the jack?

 

I tried that. Lifted the jeep up.