STOVER NUTS (and why I love them)
by Lorne Goldman

John Sheally II, the legendary Morgan racer, turned me on (pun!) to stover nuts. Morgan uses nylock nuts to prevent the nuts loosening. even in critcal areas. But nylocks cannot be reliably torqued (the nylon simply squeezes, and if used more than once, they become progressively more unreliable as, after their first usage, the nylon that prevents them from loosening, continues to shred. They are not the best choice.

Little Fastener Situations

I have learned to use two stainless steel nuts (one to tighten and another to lock the first) on small situations. I no longer wish to rely on the natural thread locker (aka rust) or any other paste nonsense. I have learned to relay on my 100,000s miles of experience. Always keep everything on a Morgan fixable roadside with the KISS principle.

Big Fastner Situations

Stover lock nuts are one piece, all-metal (stainless stovers are available) prevailing torque hex nuts with a conical top and a flat bottom bearing surface with chamfered corners. They take much less vertical space than nylock nuts or even normal nuts. That makes them perfect for many Morgan areas..such as propshaft to axle, propshaft to gearbox flange, and especially the Morgan u-bolts where clearance is and issue. The locking action is created by the purposeful distortion of their top threads, is said to be capable of withstanding severe vibration and shock loads. Though exact torquing is unclear, THEY WILL NEVER LOOSEN. They can also be reused.