So iv been putting this 46 mercury coupe rearend back together, and one of the rear drums was destroyed beyond use. I dug through my stash and found another rear drum/hub that looked to be freshly turned. Only issue, the "race" i guess you would call it on the inside of the hub where the wheel bearing rides has some rust from sitting. Not sure how bad as i just planned on driving in a new race, but i think im learning thats actually part of the hub? Im trying to avoid cutting the lugs and swaging on the good drum onto the old hub. I cant be the only one thats ran into this problem. I was thinking of taking it to a good friends shop and running it on his sunnen hone to clean it up, but i dont really like the idea of putting brand new bearings on a pitted race.
I'd suggest some naval jelly to remove the rust without harming the rest. Then you will know how bad it really is. Maybe it won't require replacing.
@Dynaflash_8 You really don’t need to worry about the swaged lug studs. You can press (not hammer) them out of the hub/drum, the swaging will easily shear off of the stud shank. Most certainly use a support on the inside of the hub, such as a deep well socket (ideally an HD impact socket) while pressing the studs out. Look in the Dorman catalog for suitable replacement stud on which the serrated shank diameter is .012” to .015” larger the the old smooth stud shank you removed and that has a threaded area of 1/2” x 20 and long enough for your purposes and press (not hammer) them in using the support socket. Studs with useful dimensions exist in the Dorman catalog. Using the described method, I successfully replaced all the studs in my ‘47 Ford hubs. That was several years ago and though I no longer have the car, I know the fellow who does and that has been a trouble free mod. Ray
i have to disagree ^^^, i have bent a hub trying to press out swedged studs before i knew how to do it. you just drill in slightly with a 5/8" hole saw around the stud and they come right out. easy and cheap
Not to venture to far off topic, but if they're the hub on the inside of the drum then make them a slip on drum. That way you can pick and choose drums vs hubs. Btw, that's a great looking Merc, I've always been a fan of grey. When the maroon on my '47 goes south I'm thinking of going grey .
Well, I have to disagree as well. I did twenty (20) of them with no distortion of either hubs or drums and did not pre-cut the swage. The process of properly supporting the hub/drum with a socket or equivalent, as I described, as well as using a shop press, eliminates ‘bending’ the components. Once the stud is removed from the hub, it’s very easy to see how little material is actually involved in the swaged area. When pressing the stud out of the hub one is really just reversing the upsetting of the metal of the stud that formed the swage in the first place. The swaged material is thin and has very little mechanical strength. I can’t imagine how one could bend anything in this process using the method I described. However, first cutting the swage with a hole saw is certainly a reasonable option if you prefer to do so. Ray
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