I am having problems getting the right wheel studs for my rear end. I cannot get them into my axle. Mine measure at about .551 thousandth around the splines? not sure if I'm reading the caliper right and have short splines about .390 in length does that sound right. the closest 7/16 stud i can get is .562 at the splines if that is right and length of the splines is .490. Overall length is just a little longer on the new ones. The book at the store says my rear end according to the studs is about a 1954 rear end. I'm pretty sure it is a 57 with a 56 center housing. what all axles will fit the 55-57 rear end? i tried to put one of the new studs in and thought it was going to twist off before it went in. i can get pictures later tonight when I'm off work to show the difference if that would help. This is in my 40 ford coupe. I sure have one heck of a time finding the right parts to keep this old beast going.
I have been looking around the ones at Dan Chuck look right but have no measurements that i can look at. here they are http://www.danchuk.com/ItemForm.aspx?item=154 I will keep looking just hate to order and not be right. I'm sure i will have to wait till Monday and give them a call. just thought someone on here would know.
You said old ones, like in you removed it from axel. There's your .011" differance, the splines have been pressed down.
The ones from the local parts store are not llike the ones i have or the way the ones from Dan Chuck look. im sure the ones i got are some chicom chinese part.What a bunch of crap im tired of junk parts.
When i tried to pull them back through with the nuts it felt like they were going to break off i was putting alot of force on them. The shoulder on the old ones is sharp and flat new ones taper down and are longer not sure if it would matter and i can not tell until i get one in. i figured no reason to ruin my axle when the parts are in question.
I just rebuilt my 56 chevy rear axles in my 37 coupe. I got my studs from Napa--original studs:7/16-20--1 3/8 long--5/16 shoulder--p/n#641-1017 Hope this helps.
Well back at it again today can not get through to Dan Chuck phone lines are down so i went to napa to try out the #641-1017 studs. I about had one in until it stretched the threads so i backed it out until i could beat it out of the axle. Then i used my cut off wheel and cut it off. if you look at this picture you can see they are the closest of the studs i have got. I may have to pull the axles out if i cannot get the studs in. i only got one to try today since I'm not positive what axles are in the rear end or what axles will fit. I hope i can get the axles out if all fails because its close to the wall in the shop. i also wonder if the axle spline holes are just too tight because they havent had new studs before. I guess i could go buy another stud and nut and try the same hole again.
I always use an impact gun to pull mine through with the lug nut flipped over.line the splines up and tap em with a small hammer to get em started the coat the threads and the inside of the nut with grease or antisieze,then a couple good blips with the gun gets em right through. Honestly I cant remember ever breaking one since I started doing it this way. Be easy on the gun though watch the backside of the flange so you can see when they bottom. Hope that helps.
That is what i did and no luck i never flipped the nut over. I used my impact today thinking the little hammering would help but no luck. I always use anti seize and by the end i just let the impact hammer and it still would not do it i figured the threads were screwed anyhow. I wonder if other axles will fit the 55-57 housing. i may have to use a press to put them in if i have the axles out. I have never had any problems replacing wheel studs when i was a tire man. I hate to pull the axles and then have the seals leak or the centerhousing leak.
Pull the axle and do it the correct way with a press ! If you insist on doing it the hard way use a regular nut and about 3 flat washers between the nut and axle flange well oiled. Make sure none of the sholder sticks above the axle flange.
don't pull the axles out. If you need to use a press to install wheel studs, something is not right. If you don't have a stud installer, I would use a big nut against the hub and tighten it with the lug nut on frontward. Make sure the splines are lined up, use your impact and listen for the sound to change when it is tight. I use oil or rust penetrant (WD40) on the splines. I hate antiseize, gets all over everything. The splines on the new broken one don't look bad. Maybe it was in all the way? Maybe try to file the holes in the axle? Just don't go too crazy.
Had about 1/16 left to bottom it out i have never had problems like this that is why i wondered if the axles could be something else, it went hard all the way. I will try the Napa studs again tomorrow in the same hole and may be it will go after the last one was about in but they should not be so hard to go in. and i did line up the splines this is not the first ones i have ever installed. They are the first on this though. In the center of the right axle i think is has a 28 on the face of it but I'm on the driver side and it says nothing.
Man Thats a bummer.Dan57 is right though you should not have to use a press for this somethings definitly wrong.Could the first set you tried leave any material behind in the flange? Do the flanges have any signs of mushrooming on the front or back from somebody in the past putting the wrong ones in?Use a small jewelers type flat file and see if there is any material left behind stopping the new ones from seating. Maybe the new studs are pushing their own material back between the flange and shoulder? do they seem to fit better if you put them in from the outside?I do remember having an issue once where a guy ran a set of rims that would not center on the hub and his solution was to keep impacting them tighter. The lugnuts gouged the flange on one of the axles so bad we had to replace it. And you would thing the softer material wouldnt do this to the hard flange but I imagine every lug nut is going to work harden to some extent...........Good luck man I would like to know what you find in the end though for sure!
1955-64 Chevy rears are all similar but 57-64 is easy to spot because they have a drain plug. 1955-56 do not. At any rate, wheel studs are all the same 1955-60; 7/16" RH thread, .557 knurl, 1-1/2" overall length. Some like to use same except with a 1-11/16" length with aftermarket alloy wheels. Try classicchevy.com and search wheel stud. The 1961-64 knurl is .488 from what I remember which is much smaller like yours. The 61-64 axle looks different on the end as they have a large centering ring that is raised almost 1/2". The earlier rears have axles that are almost flat on the ends. I'll bet you are tring to put .557 knurl studs in a 60-64 axle which won't work. You should NOT need to remove the axles to put these in, they should pull in with an impact and upside down lug nut.
Sorry guys for not being quicker life is busy. The .557 would be the ones mine does have. the short centering ring and holes measure from and larger. I never had a chance to do any work today kids are going back to school tomorrow so i will try again then. Here is a few links to the axle pictures of both sides if you want to look. and hope these work Thanks
You said one of the reasons you didn't want to pull the axles is because you didn't want the center section gasket to leak? You don't need to drop the center section to pull the axles. What's the ID of the stud holes in the axle? That should put the issue to rest. I like to pull the axles and press the studs in--that way I'm absolutely positive they are fully seated, aren't cocked a little, and I don't strain the threads drawing them home with nuts and washers. -Brad
The inside of the axle stud holes is the picture of the caliper i showed. that is the tightest approx that i could measure the others were bigger from the new studs i tried to install. I'm heading to parts store to get some more of the napa studs. i may pull the axle today to get this done. I should just scrap this sum bitch and put a 9 inch in it. Man what a hassle this has been. Thanks guys
Napa should have a big Dorman drawer full of them, take one of the old ones and match it up the old fashioned way, do measure up the knurled portion. Bob
Brad54 has it right use a press. If it takes more than the recommended wheel nut torque to pull the studs in you maybe over stressing the studs leading to possible failure. Now in a pinch on the side of the road I have pulled them in with a nut but really don't recommend it.
I finally got it. Both of the parts houses must of had the wrong studs in the boxes. I ordered a whole box of 55-57 Chevy studs from Napa and they worked i did run a file inside of the axle stud splines. They all pulled in at what felt like 90 foot pounds or so. The 2 holes i tried the other studs in sure went in easy but they are not too loose. i will also get new wheel cylinders mine had quite a bit of rust and junk under the dust boot. i did have a nice reply wrote but accidentally hit refresh instead of spell check and lost it. I do want to thank all you guys for your help again.
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