400ex Rear Hubs (HELP)

Help.
Went to take of the rear tires on the '99 400ex....the lug nut stud on the rear hub is stripped at the hub. Tried to take off the darn lug nut and the whole stud turns. Tried vice gripes on the back side of the wheel stud but can't get enough of a hold on it to get the lug nut off. We think the Honda shop used an air wrench and got the lug nuts too tight.
Anyone else had this prolem?
Any advise?
When we do get the tire off, what would be the fix? To get new studs or new hubs?
Thanks...
Sher

sher,
if it is just one stud, I would try to replace it first. a new stud might grab on the inside of the hub and it would be a cheap fix.

I doubt an air wrench would cause this. the threads would strip before the splines on the stud. most likely they didn't have the splines lined up correctly at the factory. I use an air wrench to install my lug nuts all of the time.

Thanks 3punksdad.
There is at least one stud on each side that is like this. Rob got real p!ssed and we gave up...We were in the process of polishing his rims.
Do you have any advise on getting the studs out?????????
Thanks again..

I've seen this before... I used to ride with a guy who wrenched on his lug nuts with an air wrench/impact gun, and the very next time he went to pull the stock tires to swap over to sand tires, he found that at least one stud on each hub was stripped. To get the lug nuts off he had to remove all four hubs with the wheels and tires attached, and have a local welding shop cut the back end of the stud off using a plasma torch. If I remember correctly only one new stud out of five or six fit in right afterwards, so the shop tack welded the others in place. All in all they looked and worked okay afterwards, but he was left with studs he couldn't ever replace again, as well as some mushroomed lug nut seats on the stock wheels. I'm sure that air wrenching the nuts is perfectly okay though...just make sure you're not over-torquing them past 50 ft lbs or so.

You might also check into a "nutcracker". The ones I've used in the past basically fit over the nut, and then you turn the piece that cuts through the nut with an allen wrench. Looking at how much room you have to work with, you might be able to use one. Once you get it off you should be able to drive the stud out. Good luck!

NVR2L8..thanks.
We are going to try the vice grips one more time and if that doesn't work, Rob is going to tack weld a nut on the back side of the stud so we can get a wrench on it and loosen the lug nut.
Do you guys think it will work??
Keep your fingers crossed...
Thanks again..
Sher and Rob

That's a good idea...wish I had thought of that! Yea, I think it would work real well.

tacking a nut to the stud is the way to do it. see..........you didn't need our help after all........rob has it under control. :)